VA AU Special Compilation
by VA10thanniversaryproject
Summary: To celebrate the 10th Anniversary of Vampire Academy, a small group of avid VA fandom writers have teamed up to create a collection of stories exploring how Romitri might meet/get together in an alternate VA universe.
1. Introduction

Continuing our celebration of the 10-year anniversary of Vampire Academy,  
this collection of stories explores how Rose and Dimitri might meet/get together in an alternate VA universe.

Please note that some stories are stand-alone one-shots, while others will be continued on the author's profile at a later time.

Each chapter is written by a different author so please remember to leave a REVIEW at the end of each story.  
If you like a story, feel free to check out the author's other works (links provided on our profile page).

There are two more collaborations remaining for the year, so click favourite/follow to receive the alerts.

A big thank you to all of the authors who have contributed to this project.  
We also thank Richelle Mead for creating the VA world/characters we have borrowed in our stories.  
As always, all rights belong to her.

Happy Reading!

 **1\. Freedom** (by PNR-guilty-pleasure)  
Rose is forced to partake in a tea session with other daughters of dignataries in order to present herself as a marriage candidate for a Prince. But Rose, not wanting to be forced into a life she doesn't want, runs away. While deciding what to do with the rest of her life, she meets Dimitri, who seems to have run away for the same reasons. All human, Prince and Princess (well, Duchess) story, I couldn't resist. Always wanted to do one and this seemed like a good opportunity.

 **2\. A Quiet Connection** (by Gigi256)  
Dimitri had been there for Ivan so he couldn't be there for Rose. They call it the butterfly effect but even the quiet flutter of fate's wings can't keep apart what destiny has vowed to bring together.

 **3\. How I met your mother…** (by NB313)  
This is not a cross-over with the sitcom but it's inspired by it. Sit back and enjoy the tale of how our handsome Russian met his beautiful Roza, as he re-tells their epic saga to their unborn child. Quick thank you to princesslara99 for her assistance on all things medical.

 **4\. Finders Keepers** (by thefanfirldiaries)  
AH - Rose has been watching her back for 2 years on the run now after being threatened by a drug dealer. Having never met her birth parents, she didn't know that she was also running away from the very people trying to help her.

 **5\. So Much More** (by PrincessKooki)  
In an attempt to find her mother's killer, Rose takes to the streets. Little does she know what awaits her…

 **6\. The Fortune** (by overworkedandunderpaid)  
Rose Mazur is the first mate aboard the pirate ship Liberty Fortune. Looking to lie low and pick up legitimate cargo, Rose invites a naïve, unassuming stranger aboard and gets more than she bargained for.

 **7\. Guardian Wanted** (by Llaria6)  
When Rose is denied her request to be Lissa's guardian, she accepts a job that will put her on a collision course with Dimitri - the man she was always destined to meet. Set during BP-SB - but NOT the way you remember it!


	2. 1 Freedom

**Title:** Freedom

 **Author:** PNR-guilty-pleasure

 **Background:** Rose is forced to partake in a tea session with other daughters of dignataries in order to present herself as a marriage candidate for a Prince. But Rose, not wanting to be forced into a life she doesn't want, runs away. While deciding what to do with the rest of her life, she meets Dimitri, who seems to have run away for the same reasons. All human, Prince and Princess (well, Duchess) story, I couldn't resist. Always wanted to do one and this seemed like a good opportunity.

 **Format:** One shot.

* * *

 **RPOV**

"No. Hell no. Njet, Non, Nee, Nein, Ie, I can't tell you no in enough languages. The answer is No."

"But honey, this is a great opportunity." I simply looked at my father as he was sitting on the edge of my bed, being completely serious.

"Whoring your daughter to some Royal is a great opportunity?"

"Oh don't be so dramatic Rosemarie. We are not whoring you out. And technically it would be pimping you out." Great, leave it to my mother to correct even my rants. She was standing off to the side and I could tell she was already done with this conversation.

"You are right, shipping me off to marry some Royal does only benefit you so I do suppose pimping me out would be more accurate, or maybe slavery, slavery would be more accurate." My mother rolled her eyes and sat exasperated on my bed next to my father.

"Rosemarie, you are only going to meet him. All the dignitaries will send their daughters so it isn't like it is a done deal, you are simply to go there and meet him, make a good impression. Even if he doesn't choose you, getting in good graces with him could mean a lot for our family." I paraded around the room, swaying my hips in a dramatic manner as I was walking a fashion show.

"So I am there to parade around for him to judge me like a piece of cattle and then if he approves of me it will have provided favor for my family. I think I will stick with the pimping analogy."

"I don't see the big deal. He is only a little older and I hear he is very handsome."

"Meaning he is old and ugly."

"He is twenty four." Well okay, that isn't that old.

"Well he must be really ugly then, if he is so wonderful why hasn't he been able to get a bride yet. What is wrong with him?"

"Nothing is wrong with him. He has simply been too busy. I hear he has spent several years training in the military, making it as far as the special-forces." Right it was probably code for he was drunk and whoring for a few years, or maybe he had some disease the public couldn't know about, maybe it left him defaced or something.

"It doesn't matter if he is six foot seven, has chocolate brown eyes and the body of a God. I am not doing this." My father seemed slightly sympathetic towards my plight but my mother wouldn't hear of it.

"Rosemarie, you are almost eighteen. You have a duty to your family and yourself to find a suitable husband. You have obligations and responsibilities, and this is part of that."

The never ending story of my life. Duty, responsibility, my life was not my own. I used to think being the daughter of a duke was a good thing. I wanted for nothing; I got everything I ever wanted, except freedom. And it was something I craved more than anything. At least here with my parents I had some level of freedom. If I was married off to some Prince or high-ranking asshole he would keep me in a box and never let me leave. I had no illusions about what men want from proper ladies. And that wasn't me. I knew how to act like one. God knows my mother tried teaching it to me, but it never felt like me. I knew once I was married off, my soul would die a slow death.

"You are going and that is that. And I will expect you to try your hardest and not simply blow it to be spiteful."

I was about to begin the tirade all over again, but as I was looking at my mother, I knew it would be pointless. So I reluctantly agreed to at least go. Not that I had any plans of actually going, but it at least meant my parents would leave my room and leave me in peace. They got up and left the room. I heard my father say something to my mother about me agreeing too easily. I closed the door behind them and locked it and heard the last piece of the conversation between my parents.

"You call that easy?"

I smiled, despite myself. They were quite the pair. My father was passionate and rash like me, whereas my mother was strict and controlled, but had a mean temper. They balanced each other out.

I let a lone tear escape my eye as I said my silent farewell to them. This was the last straw. I couldn't stay here any longer. I have always known that I couldn't be who they want me to be, but I had tried nonetheless. But this was too much. I would not be bound to someone for the rest of my life simply because it was proper or would better my position.

I had always put my duty first. As the heir to my father's estate I was expected to handle certain matters, and I had always tried to be a good next ruler of this region. I didn't want to think about what would happen to these lands when they would become without an heir, but I couldn't stay here any longer. So I packed my bags like I had done a million times before, but this time I actually zipped it up and climbed out the window.

 **DPOV**

"What have you done mother?"

My mother looked like the picture of innocence herself, sitting cool and collected in the lounge chair in my room.

"I haven't done anything. I have simply invited the most suitable young women in our kingdom for some tea and to make your acquaintance." She crossed her legs and folded her hands in her lap, apparently seeing nothing wrong with her actions.

"You mean, you are parading women in front of me, expecting me to pick my bride." She looked a little shocked at my choice of words, but then shrugged, because even she had to agree that this was the case even if it was veiled as tea.

"Well, I would like some grandchildren sometime soon."

I threw my hands in the air in exasperation. "You have grandchildren, Paul and Zoya, and Sonya is expecting another one."

She simply waved her hand in the air, dismissing my argument. "Yes, and I love them very much, they are my little munchkins, but I meant grandchildren by you, heirs to the throne. I worry about you sometimes Dimka?"

I sighed deeply as I sat down next to my mother and took her hand. "You know you don't have too. I am fine. I have spent my whole life trying to be the best king I could be once the time comes."

She placed her other hand on top of mine and squeezed, trying to implore me to listen to her. "You have spent your entire life training and keeping people at a distance. This isn't just about the stability of the kingdom, this is about you finding someone to share your life with and someone who can be there for you and help you and support you."

"And I would love to find that person; I just don't see how inviting a very select few women will accomplish that task."

"Well you are going to be King, you do need a bride of stature."

"Karoline didn't marry anyone of stature and she is Royal, neither did Sonya."

"Yes, and do you see how that turned out?"

I sighed. I don't think I was getting anywhere with my mother. And I don't think pointing out that a royal marriage was a lot less likely to end in divorce than when I would marry a non-royal, so if I would marry one of these girls and be completely miserable with her I would be stuck with her with no escape, would help convince my mother to stray from her path.

"When are they coming?" How long do I have before walking to my execution?

"I have arranged for them to come on Friday."

"And who exactly is them?"

My mother handed me a list as she got up and kissed my head. "It will be alright Dimka."

I took the piece of paper from my mother and studied it as she left my room. I hardly recognized any of these names. I saw Tasha Ozera on there and was surprised. Tasha was a friend but nothing more, and I think my mother knew this, but maybe she had no choice. Tasha was in the right age category even if she was a few years older, and she came from a prominent family. I suppose not inviting her would have been some kind of faux-pas. I sighed as I resigned myself to my fate. Friday huh? It was Wednesday now. I could enjoy another day or so as a free man. Well as free as I had ever been as a crown prince.

I took some supplies, put on my old leather duster and informed the staff I would be going out. They knew that when I went incognito I didn't want a protection detail with me. God knows with all my training I didn't really need one. I told them not to worry but that I could be gone for a while, maybe the entire night.

 **RPOV**

As I was walking in the streets without guards or fancy clothing I felt strangely free. I was wearing some old pants I stole from a maid and a shirt to match. The jacket was worn, but warm. My bag was slung over my shoulders and my hair was tied in a ponytail. I looked nothing like the Duchess I was before this. I looked like anybody else on the street. Other's seemed to think so too, because nobody paid me any attention. Usually when I would go out it was a spectacle and I had numerous guards with me. No one was to approach me directly. But here people were bumping into me and stopping me to try their goods and convince me to buy something. I had taken a lot of cash with me, but didn't want to waste it on the first day, so I just got some essentials. After experiencing the market I went down to the lake. It would be a quiet day today. Most people would be working.

I used to come here as a child. There was an abandoned cabin at the far side of the lake, where nobody ever came. I knew I could stay there and nobody would be able to find me until I had come up with a plan. When suddenly your whole life opens up, the possibilities are endless, and I had no idea what I wanted with my life. But for the first time in my life, it was my choice. So I didn't blame myself for taking some time in figuring that out.

I was so focused on getting to the cabin and dreaming of a free life, I didn't see the other person that was here today as I bumped into him. How I could have missed him is beyond me, because as he straightened out I saw he was huge. Standing tall at six foot seven with brown eyes and a muscular physique the man was very noticeable, and handsome.

He looked down shocked. I suppose he hadn't seen me either. I mean, we were literally the only two people out here today.

"I am sorry, are you alright? I was deep in thought." I nodded as I brushed something off of my clothes.

"I am fine and I wasn't paying attention either."

He looked me up and down and I saw he was taking me in. He certainly looked curious and I could tell he did find me attractive, but I was glad to notice he lacked the certain blatant lust and drooling most men had when first seeing me.

"So what had you distracted?" he asked.

"Life's questions, the purpose of me in this universe. What fate has in store for me? What I am going to have for dinner tonight?" The last bit made him laugh.

"Good, all the important questions then."

"What about you? Why are you here when everybody else seems to be at work or doing anything else than simply enjoying this day at the lake?"

His face turned into a frown. He seemed to be contemplating his answer. "I am avoiding my mother."

It was my turn to laugh. At least I knew he was honest. A grown man admitting to avoiding his mother had to be the truth. Nobody would be using that as an excuse.

"Funny, mine is kind of the reason I am here too."

We sat down at the edge of the lake and started to talk about our families. I did some editing here and there, and didn't reveal I was a Duchess, but other than that I was honest. "It is like she wants me to be someone I am not. I just couldn't take it anymore. And for the first time in my life, I am free. And it feels great. I have my whole life in front of me and endless possibilities to choose from."

I saw him look contemplative and even a bit jealous. He had said his mother has been pushing him to settle down. I guess other people felt pressure too. I wasn't the only one bound by some kind of duty. He had said that he had taken today and tomorrow off so he could spend it however he wanted. I was starting to feel guilty about hogging all his time.

"So your parents don't know you have left?" I shook my head at his question.

"Once I settle down somewhere I'll send them a letter that I am fine. But I know they won't understand if I had told them. They would have pressured me into staying and I think I would have let them." I looked down at my hands, suddenly feeling a little guilty. I was running away from responsibilities here. I hadn't really considered what kind of mess my departure would bring. But it was too late to turn back now.

The handsome man sitting beside me placed his hand on mine "It is okay to want your own life. You deserve to have one. You can't live your whole life living for your parents."

I smiled a little at him. "Yet, you are going back on Friday to do your mother's bidding."

He chuckled a little. "Unfortunately I have resigned myself a long time ago to the fact that my life was not my own. So I am just going to enjoy the time I am able to do what I want and not worry about Friday. But you should run far and wide, now that you still have the chance."

My stomach grumbled and he looked over to me.  
"I think with all your worrying about dinner, you forgot to figure out lunch."

I laughed. I really did.

"Come on. I'll buy us lunch."

Well I was never one to pass on food. So I agreed.  
He stood up to his massive six foot seven stature and pulled me to my feet.

"Well I suppose if we are having a meal together I should at least know your name."

He smiled as he extended his arm. "Dimitri."

I shook his hand and reciprocated. "Rose."

He purchased us a couple of sandwiches at a nearby deli place. He looked around a little warily? I wonder what he was afraid of. We took the sandwiches and walked around the lake. The sun was being blocked by the clouds and all of a sudden the clouds started to unleash their rain. At first it was a drizzle, but it soon turned into pouring rain. I was pulling him towards the cabin. We were already halfway there and there weren't any other structures around.

We were running along the lake. I could feel the rain permeating my clothes and drenching every inch of my body. We were heading into a tree line next to the lake and Dimitri spotted the cabin. He quickened his pace so when he reached the cabin he could open the door for me once I arrived.

I closed the door behind me.

I looked him over. He was taking off his duster and beneath it I could see every muscle that adorned his body. His clothes were stuck to his skin and left little to the imagination. He definitely worked out. His chest was broad and I could see his pecks tapering down into a six-pack, well more like an eight pack.

I was staring at him, I knew that, but my mind was simply too busy imagining this man doing all sorts of things to me to even care I was practically drooling. He cleared his throat and my mind started to function again. I blushed a little for being caught in the act, but decided it was his own fault. You can't look like that and not expect people to stare.

I took off my own jacket and noticed I was in a similar position. The jeans I was wearing were already skin tight, so the rain added little there, but my shirt had been a bit loose. Well not anymore. It clung to my skin, it showed all my curved and clearly showed a lacy bra underneath. Also the shirt was light and the bra was black, so the contrast made sure he could observe every detail.  
I giggled a little as he was clearly mesmerized. He shook his head and focused on my face again. He turned around and started looking around the cabin.

"Right, is there any wood? I can make a fire to warm us up and dry us?" I pointed to the corner and he quickly located the logs and set to work.

"How do you know this place?" he asked, still keeping his back to me, probably in an attempt to give me some privacy.

"I used to come here as a kid. Only me and my friend Lissa know about this place. Structurally it is fine, but it hasn't been occupied in years." He looked around again and agreed with me.

"I'll get some blankets, we need to get out of these wet clothes," I said. I saw him swallow but nod, still keeping his back to me, even though the fire was already starting to burn.

I threw a towel and a blanket towards him and started to strip. First my boots then the jeans, and then the shirt, leaving me in nothing but my underwear. I was quick to cover myself with the blanket, but I knew I hadn't been fast enough. And honestly, I didn't mind. I kind of wanted him to take a good look. I had always been careful around men, always being proper. But it was very freeing to be able to simply let him see me and not have to worry about being a lady. And somehow I trusted him and felt safe with him, safe enough to let him seen my almost naked body.

I sat on the couch as I watched him undress. If his body looked good covered in skintight clothes, it looked amazing without any clothes. His skin was slightly tanned and smooth. I just wanted to drag my hands over it, feeling those muscles flex underneath my fingers. I wasn't hiding the fact I was openly ogling him, again grateful the chains of appropriateness were no longer shackling me.

He chuckled a little but when he was down to his boxers he wrapped himself in the blanket and sat down on the couch next to me. He handed me sandwich that was sitting on the table next to him.

"I think the wrap protected most of it, but it might be a little soggy." I shrugged. Food was food.

 **DPOV**

As she was munching on her sandwich I couldn't help but to look at her. I tried very hard to not think about what was underneath the blanket, but she had made that especially hard when she simply stripped in front of me. She was so different than any girl I had ever met. She was so natural and passionate and fun. I could see how she wouldn't fit in the picture of a proper lady her mother wanted her to be. It must have been suffocating for her.

I felt very relaxed around her. She had made me laugh, and for the first time in a long time I was letting down my guard a little. Why couldn't my mother invite a girl like her to the tea party? My choice would have been made in a second.  
I looked down at my sandwich a little depressed. It didn't do me any good to fall for her now, I won't be able to keep her, to be with her. I was only free for the next day. After that I had no choice but to go back.

She seemed to notice my change in mood, but I doubted she would have guessed the reason behind it. She grabbed my hand and started to play with my fingers. "You're cold. I can make us some tea. Well hot water. I don't actually have tea bags." She got up to fill the kettle with water. I noticed that despite years of non-use the water was clear and not murky. It testified to the quality of building this cabin. Whoever built it knew what he or she was doing. I suspected the water was taken from the lake and filtered. So as long as the lake was clear, so would our water be.

She placed the kettle in the fire, letting the water heat up. She looked around the cabin, trying to inventory what we had to work with. "Come on, let's see if there are still some provisions in the pantry."

We went through everything and at least found something to snack on and a couple tins with vegetables, beans and even some corned beef. And to our luck there was a pack of tea lying around.

"The gummy bears were Lissa's and mine, but they are eight years old, so I wouldn't be eating those anymore. I don't know who the rest belongs too."

I shrugged. "This place hasn't seen any residence or even squatters for a while. So I think it is safe to assume the food has been abandoned. I imagine hikers or travelers would have used this cabin on occasion. Probably also where the blankets came from."

"Well it is ours now." She walked towards the kettle once it started to whistle and prepared a couple of mugs with the hot water and tea bags. I tried not to stare as the blanket was scooting down inch by inch and by the time she was close enough to relinquish possession of one of the mugs and free one hand to hoist up the blanket I had copped another eyeful of her perfect breasts.

I took my time with my tea, the heat from the tea a welcome feeling, however, the cold never bothered me much.

It was still pouring outside and by the looks of the dark clouds it wasn't letting up anytime soon. We might have to stay here all night. The thought both scared and exhilarated me. When the rain turned into thunder and lightning, Rose snuggled close to me. I automatically wrapped my arm around her, trying to keep her safe. Not that I would be able to protect her from being hit by lightning, but still.

She moved even closer and I suddenly knew this had nothing to do with the weather outside. She was hovering over me and our lips were only inches apart. God I wanted to kiss her, hold her, make love to her, but I wasn't the kind of man, that beds a woman and then left. And that is exactly what I would have to do, because the day after tomorrow, I would have to bind myself to another woman.

But she kissed me none the less and I, despite all the reasons not too, kissed her back. Her lips were warm against mine, despite the fact that the rest of her body was still freezing. She started to straddle my lap, intensifying the kiss and wrapping her hands in my hair and tugging slightly. I groaned as I pulled her closer. Things were starting to heat up, both on top as well as downstairs. I could feel her hardened nipples on my skin, even if they were still covered with the lacy material of her bra. I could also feel my cock pressing into her backside as I had already become fully erect.

I pulled back, trying to stop this from going any further. But her pleading voice stopped me.  
"Please Dimitri, I haven't made a single decision in my life, let me make this one. Let me be free for one moment and decide what I want. And right now I want you, all of you. I know we have an expiration date, but right now, I need you."

I could feel her desperation all the way to my soul. How could I deny her that, how could I deny myself that. Because that is all I wanted too. One moment that was mine.

So I kept kissing her as I picked her up and moved her over to the bed. The blanket fell away from her body revealing the tanned skin underneath. Her skin was no longer cold, but felt feverish against mine. I kissed her down her neck towards her cleavage. I was nipping and lapping on the skin exposed by her bra and she arched against my lips in an attempt to bring me closer. Her fingers were gripping my hair, pushing me further into her chest. My hands were busy roaming her body, tracing every curve and relishing every piece of soft exposed skin. They ended up at the clasp of her bra and deftly unhooked it, creating space between her breasts and the material. I pulled the bra away and saw her blush. I wondered how experienced she was with men.

I pulled back, suddenly regretting this. But I must admit the sight of her heaving breasts, with erect nipples waiting for my attention, was making my choice very difficult.

"Are you sure?" I asked hoping she would say yes.  
She smiled as she ran her hands over my chest and down to the bottom of my pants.

"Never been more sure." And that was that. I moved down towards her lips and we joined in a passionate kiss.

She had made her decision. Gone was the inexperienced and slightly shy girl. All that lay beneath me was a woman who knew what she wanted, and wasn't afraid to take it. Overtaken by lust and the delirious feeling of freedom, she boldly nipped at my lips and pulled on my boxers.

I leaned back down and placed her hands beside her head. I leaned in and sucked on the spot between her neck and shoulder and I felt her body relax underneath me. I let go of one of her hands and started to slowly move it south. From her shoulder, to her ribs, to her hip. I hooked my thumb on the inside of her panties and pulled down. They slipped off of her hips and down her legs and I discarded them across the room. My hands slowly made its way back up and traced the inside of her leg, her thigh and eventually reached her warm, wet core. The moment I touched her she shivered and moaned. She was so sensitive.  
I brushed my fingers over her clit a few times and I could feel her breathing increase, part in pleasure and part in exhilaration at what was to come.

When I tested the waters so to speak and inserted a finger I felt her clench around me. She was so tight, wet and ready. She was rocking her hips onto my finger needing more. I pulled my finger out and hovered over her. I lined myself up and looked one more time, just to be sure. But I saw no hesitation, no unsureness. All I saw was love and a good amount of lust. She wanted this as much as I did.

I carefully entered her, going slow and inching my way inside. It wasn't long before I felt her barrier, confirming to me her experience with men had been non-existent. It made me feel special. I knew it was more than just her exploring her new-found freedom. She wouldn't have given her virginity to just anyone. I wanted to honor her decision for choosing me. I felt the same way towards her. I had been with a few women before, but I had never felt like this. It felt like the first time for me too. In a matter of hours, this woman had made me feel things I have never felt, and I wouldn't have wanted to spend my precious free hours with anyone else. I would cherish these moments forever, even if I knew it couldn't last.

I broke past her barrier and felt her flinch beneath me. I waited a few moments until she relaxed again and slowly started moving. Soon I felt her move with me and any pain she might have had had made way for pleasure as I heard small moans coming from her.

I saw the mischief in her eyes before I noticed her push me over and straddle me. She leaned her hands on my chest as she moved forwards and backwards and from side to side, finding the position that she liked. I pulled her down towards me and kissed her, while moving with her. My hands were on her back stroking up and down and eventually settled on her hip, helping her keep her rhythm.

It wasn't long before I needed to take a pause or I would have blown right there and used a switch of position to do it. I pulled her underneath me again and lifted one of her legs over my shoulder. I slowly moved, trying to bring myself down just a bit, so I could give her the maximum pleasure. But her body started to move more frantically, and I had no choice but to join in the frenzy, both of us now very close. I could feel her desperation for release radiating off of her skin and was determined to provide it. I leaned backwards slightly so I could thrust harder and deeper. And after a loud 'Oh God' I felt her walls clamp down on me and she gripped my arms tightly. I lost myself as well as I flooded her from within. After my body was done convulsing from my orgasm I fell down half on top of her half beside her.

And that is how we fell asleep with the rain still pouring and the thunder roaring outside and the occasional lighting illuminating the cabin.

 **RPOV**

We spend the rest of his free time together, making love, relaxing near the fireplace and eating from tinned cans and whatever else people had left behind. It was perfect. However, it was early Friday morning now and we both knew he had to be going soon.

I had been thinking about things too. I had seen about a million text messages from my parents, ranging from worrying to angry, to pure rage. The last one was from my mother.

I turned around and snuggled in a little closer. He was still asleep and I took this time to memorize him. This was probably the last time I would see him and I wanted to remember every single detail, from how his hair felt when I spread my fingers through it, to how his lips tasted, to how his skin felt pressed flushed against mine.

When he woke up and I saw the depression on his face as he looked over to his watch, I decided I didn't want to drag this out and make these last few moments the worst of my life. I wanted to remember this as the best two days, and not only the depressive ending.

So I straddled him. The covers fell away from my body and I saw him staring at my chest expectantly. I had noticed his fascination with my breasts. My hair and my breasts, were definitely his favorite things about me.

"So are you going to miss these tits?" I saw him look scandalous when I said the word 'tits'. I rolled my eyes, I forgot that his mother had succeeded in raising him to be proper.

Once he got over it, he reached out and deftly kneaded them in his big calloused hands.

"I do love them." In between my moans I looked at him shrewdly. I noticed he didn't actually say the word.

"You can't say it, can you? You can't say tits."

"Of course I can." But still made no move to actually say it.

I leaned in, pressing my tits against his chest as I whispered in his ear.

"Say it. Say you love my tits, say you love pounding into my warm, wet pu…"

"I loved your tits."

I laughed as I leaned back, so I was able to look at him. I suppose saying pussy was even harder for him than saying tits.

His gaze when from a little exasperated and ashamed to something completely different. He looked at me and I could almost see into his soul. There was such a vulnerability in it, it almost made me gasp.

"I love your tits, I love how you feel pressed against me, I love how you softly moan when I suck on your neck… I simply love you." His words had left me breathless. I knew I hadn't been just another girl to him. I had felt this connection between us, but neither of us had dared to utter the words. Because they were meaningless, because of our deadline. But as he said them to me, I realized we were so wrong. They were powerful and reached my very essence.

"I love you too."

I laid back down with my head on his chest, trying very hard not to cry and to turn this back around so I could still have a nice ending.

"If you didn't have to go, if you could be anything, do anything, what would your future look like?" I had always fantasized about it. What would I do if I were free to be whatever and whoever I wanted? But right now my only fantasy was that Dimitri would stay.

"I would stay here with you." I smiled at his answer, I had a similar train of thought.

"Forever? Because I think we would get tired of the food, also it would run out."

He laughed.

"Well, we would have to go out and get some supplied, but I mean in the long run. I would want to live here. I would remodel some things, update a few things, maybe extend this cabin. I would put in a yard with a large swing set where our kids could play and maybe a porch swing where we could sit underneath a blanket in the evening."  
I looked at him a little shocked. He hadn't just fantasized about being with me. He had fantasized about a whole life with me. And it sounded perfect.

I realized something as I heard him layout our fantasy. That is what I wanted, but there was no way, I could have it. Any other life simply wouldn't compare. So did it really matter if I was out in the world, being 'free', yet still not having what I wanted, or being back home and doing my duty.

Dimitri looked over to his watch and I heard him sigh as he reluctantly got up and put on the clothes we haven't touched in two days. His face was stormy. He didn't want to leave any more than I did, but he was obligated to do so. I suddenly felt shame. I wasn't the kind of person that runs away, but that was exactly what I had done.

I got up and put on my clothes as well. We had laid them near the fireplace and they had long since dried. In a sign of pure irony, the sun was shining brightly outside, no trace of the storm that had been raging these last few days. It was the universe's way of saying that our time was up.

I picked up my phone and sighed as I scrolled through the numerous text messages. Dimitri must have seen my decision on my face, because he asked, "You are going back too, aren't you."

I looked up at him and sighed again. "I have too."

"No, you don't Roza, You can be free. You can do anything you want, you don't have to be trapped your whole life."

I was glad he thought so. I was worried he might have resented me for running away from my duties, when he was facing his head on. "But what I want I can't have, and could you really love me, if I was the kind of person that ran away from my responsibilities?"

He sat down next to me on the bed and softly stroked my hands. "I just want you to be happy."

"And I am. These last two days have been perfect. I will always cherish them and remember them as the happiest in my life. But seeing as I will never be able to do it again, I might as well go back. Two days to last me a lifetime. It would have to be enough. It simply has to be."

I couldn't help the tear that fell from my eyes and onto his hand. He grabbed my face and gently kissed me.

"It will be enough. I know I will hold onto them for the rest of my life."

We had dragged out our farewells as much as we could. But eventually we closed the door of the cabin behind us. Part of me wanted to burn it. I didn't want anyone else staying here and defiling the place I had been happy for the first time. Part of me simply wanted to burn it out of frustration. We would never get those days back, so why keep this place. It would never turn into the beautiful picture Dimitri had painted in his fantasy.

But in the end, the cabin remained exactly as it was.

We each had to go into a different direction and we were awkwardly standing in front of the door, not sure how to say goodbye. I decided, I didn't want to say goodbye. So I stood on my tippy toes, and kissed him as if there was no tomorrow, and for us, there wasn't any.

Once we eventually pulled away I looked at him one more time and walked away dragging my feet back towards my prison.

A few hours later I was standing in the parlor of the palace waiting to be announced. My mother had done an amazing job getting me ready in a short amount of time, especially since she had been seething the entire time.

I had simply told my parents, I had needed a few days to myself, but I think both them had guessed I had meant for my leave of absence to be permanent. I had felt it in my father's embrace as he hugged me when I came back.

I had seen a few ladies enter before me. All of them were very excited, but none as much as Lady Natasha Ozera. She seemed to be positively bubbling with energy. Well if she wanted him to so much, she could have him. I had my sights on an entirely different kind of man.

Finally my name was called and the doors opened to reveal a large room with places set for quite a few ladies. Most of them were off to the side, waiting for everyone to have come in. I could see an older woman stand to the side, she seemed to be coordinating this shindig. I held my head high as they announced my name.

"Duchess Rosemarie Mazur."

The older woman approached me as she held out her hand. "Rosemarie, how lovely of you to join us, Oh aren't you just a vision. I would like you to meet my son, Prince Dimitri Belikov."

She stepped away and my mouth dropped. I could see a similar reaction in Dimitri. He must not have seen me come in. I had seen a bored expression on his face, just before he recognized me and his demeanor changed. I suppose that means that none of the other girls had made much of an impression.

He quickly regained his footing and took my hand as he gently placed a kiss on it. It was protocol and he had probably kissed the hands of all the other girls too, but I could feel his lips linger on my hand, and I knew he was reminded of the many kisses we shared in the cabin.

He pulled back just before his kiss became improper and smiled a brilliant smile at me.

"Roza, welcome, I am looking forwards to get to know you better."

I smiled back as I moved over towards the other girls. But the smile never left my face and I saw Dimitri had a similar problem.

Maybe this would work out after all. And even though I knew we would never live in the cabin, maybe we could still have that happily ever after. I mean, he could build a swing set for our kids on the palace grounds.


	3. 2 A Quiet Connection

**Title:** A Quiet Connection

 **Author:** Gigi256

 **Background:** Dimitri had been there for Ivan so he couldn't be there for Rose. They call it the butterfly effect but even the quiet flutter of fate's wings can't keep apart what destiny has vowed to bring together. (Trigger Warning: Sex Work)

 **Format:** One Shot

* * *

It wasn't the first time he had been forced to listen to his best friend in the other room with a woman. It was one of those "unwritten perks" that nobody ever mentioned in school when he went through years of guardian training. He did his best to ignore the sounds of grunting and moaning that was almost all too clear on the other side of the of the wall. He tried to immerse himself in his book, imagining the pictures those words were designed to bring to mind but they were replaced by dark hair and almond skin, eyes the color of chocolate with gold flecks that could be seen even in the low light of the club. She had been wearing a short leather skirt and a red top, the scars on her neck showing almost proudly where they were layered one on top of another after years of service.

Those clothes were certainly scattered across Ivan's floor now, though. He didn't want to imagine what was hidden beneath them, especially since she was out of his hands and in those of his charge and friend. It was impossible with how her cries were now rising in pitch and frequency to the point where Dimitri couldn't focus on anything else. While sheer will could keep him from acting on what his body desperately wanted him to do, he shamefully couldn't deny that parts of him had responded to her desperate pleads just moments before.

He wiped his face, brushing the guilt and sweat from his brow as the suite finally started to quiet and he could begin to read once more in peace. Perhaps he expected her to stay longer than ten minutes after their tryst but as the door opened, with her fully dressed and a bandage pressed gently to her neck, she gave him a tight smile.

"He's asleep. Passed out pretty quickly." Her previously uncomfortable smile morphed into almost a smirk, like some private joke that she held within herself. "Figured he didn't need me anymore so I'd head home. It's starting to rain."

His head turned sharply towards the window where the sound of water was beating a loud and steady rhythm against the glass. It wasn't even a light drizzle at this point, but a full on downpour. The fact that he had been so distracted by Ivan and his conquest to notice something as simple as the weather was beyond unprofessional. It was practically irresponsible.

"Can I call you a cab?"

"I'll walk."

She had to be kidding, and when he told her so, she just scoffed at him.

"Honestly, I'll be fine." She fingered the cash in her purse, frowning slightly. He didn't dare ask what was wrong. "I know you guardian types are over protective and whatnot, but I can take care of myself. I nearly completed my own training. I'll be okay."

"It's the middle of the night and it's pouring. Please, for my peace of mind if nothing else, let me call a cab."

"Fine, but you're paying."

"Whatever it takes."

He caught her scowl as he looked up a local number for a cab company, but he still smirked, satisfied that he had won their little battle. They answered quickly but denied the request almost as fast.

"What do you mean no?"

Her brows furrowed with worry at his tone as the conversation finished.

"The roads are flooded. Apparently, the river has already taken out part of the bridge and there are warnings to stay inside."

"It hasn't even been that long since..."

"I know, apparently the storm hit quickly."

As if to emphasize his point, a flash of lightning flooded the room with light and the booming sound of thunder followed a moment later. She sank down into the chair, her face falling into her hands. Her subsequent curses made him start to wonder if cash was so tight that paying for a cab, much less a hotel room for the night, was out of reach. What would she have to do to make up the cost of something like that?

He knew the answer was snoring just 15 feet away in the other side of the door.

"Hey, we have some space here, you can take the extra bed if you'd like."

She peeked at him through her fingers, the red paint slightly chipped at the edges. "Huh?"

"You're welcomed to the extra bed. You can stay here. If you want to, that is."

"Where will you sleep?"

"I'm mostly on duty all night. I'll get some sleep in when the sun rises but as long as there is a threat of attack, I need to be on guard."

She looked at him with a bit of skepticism. "I don't think there's been an attack in this city since I moved here. I'm sure you'll be okay."

"I can't take that chance. Seriously, you can take the bed, it's no problem."

She didn't appear comfortable sleeping with a practical stranger sitting in the other room though, so she readjusted herself on the other side of the couch instead. "No, I'm fine. I'll just wait here if that's okay. How long have you been a guardian?"

His book hit the coffee table with a small thud before he crossed his arms and fixed her with a stare that didn't bother to hide his annoyance. It would be significantly easier to ignore her if she was sleeping in the other guest room. "I'm twenty-seven so just about ten years now. How long have you..." he hesitated, trying not to let his eyes move to the scars on her neck or the most recent wound that Ivan had left. "...lived here."

"Almost four years. I was about to start my senior year when I was kicked out of school. No family, no friends, no place to go. I tried to make a decent living doing something legitimate but you only have so many options at seventeen, you know? Especially when you aren't given all the proper paperwork."

He cursed under his breath and when she questioned the language barrier, he brushed it off. The alchemists hadn't even bothered to set her up with a GED or anything. Hell, she may not even be on their radar for all he knew. Wouldn't be the first time a so-called blood whore fell through the cracks and those in authority insisted that they couldn't do anything about it.

"Are you doing okay then? Eating? Have a place to say and all that?"

She looked practically offended at his sudden interest. "Yeah, I can take care of myself, Comrade. Thanks for the concern."

"I was just asking. Believe or not, there are good people in the world. Not everyone is out for themselves."

"Is that why you haven't even bothered to ask my name?"

Ivan had moaned out two names repeatedly, and assuming she didn't go by "oh, baby" he could only assume that her name was Rose. It almost seemed too feminine and gentle for her, until you remembered that a Rose was known for its thorns as much as it's velvet petals.

"Rose, right?"

My guess earned me a small, pleased smile and a handshake. "Rose Hathaway."

"Wait, as in..."

"Yeah. I'm related to her. She's my mother."

He could feel his jaw dropping but he didn't know if he was impressed or sympathetic to the weight of that reputation. Either way, he was speechless. He knew better than anyone that parentage didn't necessarily mean much but the Hathaway name had a pretty long line of amazing guardians behind it. Apparently, it was ending with the woman in front of him.

"Yep," the leather creaked as she leaned back, slipping her hands behind her head and kicking off those uncomfortable looking heels, "one of the greatest guardians of this generation...and I'm her biggest disappointment."

"Oh, I'm sure she doesn't think that."

"No, she made that pretty clear. Told me face-to-face, even. Actually, it was one of the few times we ever spoke in person, so at least there's that."

Was there even a reply to that? There definitely wasn't a proper reply to what she said next.

"You know this isn't a two-for-one deal. Ivan paid for me, not you. I do have guardian discounts if you're interested though."

"Oh! No!" She scowled at his immediate and horrified reaction. "I mean...no, thank you. I appreciate it but I'm not like that."

"Like what? You don't have needs?"

"No. Well, yes, but I don't tend to use the same..." he glanced at the door where Ivan was still sleeping, "services that my charge enjoys on occasion. Call me old fashioned, but I prefer to have some connection with a girl before we get together."

"And when was the last time that happened?"

Nothing else could have condemned him more than the sound of his silence and the rain outside.

"That's what I thought." She laughed and smacked his shoulder. "So about these so called 'connections,' what do you need? Three dates? A proposal? A full marriage?"

"No. Marriage isn't exactly in the cards for guys like me."

"Preaching to the choir. Enough about me, though," she continued, "what about you, oh mysterious Guardian of the Old West?"

"Excuse me?"

She kicked his well-worn paperback with her toe.

"Oh." he chuckled, "That."

He told her about how his mother gave him his first western and how he had been hooked ever since. He told her about how his younger sister, Vika, used to tease him just like she was doing now.

They talked for another hour about life in their respective academies. How he was pretty much the perfect student who graduated at the top of his class (no surprise to her) and how she was frankly shocked that they didn't kick her out long before her senior year with all the antics she and her friends got in.

"Yeah, and I was actually slated to be the Dragomir Princess's guardian if you can believe it."

His eyes widened for a moment, but he quickly hid the reaction behind a mask. For all the sharing and confessing they had done that night, what had led to her being expelled had seemed firmly off the table. He didn't want to push too far, but if she had been preparing for such a prestigious position then she should have been very skilled. They wouldn't waste that potential unless there was a serious, perhaps life-threatening, infraction.

"Shame what happened to her," he tentatively explored, "I'm just glad they found her after being held captive for weeks by that crazed Prince."

"Yeah, and it looks like she'll be in that hospital for psychiatric help for even longer." Lightning cracked, highlighting the shadows in her eyes. "Seems like they are spending more time and effort over who gave the anonymous tip that led to her discovery than why she was captured in the first place." The room must have dropped a degree or two when her arms crossed in front of her. A deep, frustrated sigh finally relaxed her shoulders but she still stared at the blank wall ahead of them. It was almost enough to make him question her investment in the drama on the other side of the country but he didn't want to have that wrath turned on him.

Instead, he brought the topic back to safer waters until she was smiling again. He liked her smile. She asked about where he had been with Ivan as his charge, becoming more enthralled the further the distance. He asked about all the places she wanted to eventually see. Somehow the conversation moved easily from one topic to the next without any more awkward pauses or unnecessary platitudes.

Before long, he realized he had been sharing more than he had with anyone in a long time. And it felt good. It felt really good to simply be himself without having to worry about being strong, or intimidating, or aware of every detail in the room. He could focus just on her.

"So..." she faltered, losing the confidence she had shown all night, "do you think we have a connection? You and I?"

"What do you mean?"

She shifted slightly so that her bare knee touched his leg, and only then did he realize that they had been gradually moving closer to one another all evening. It was a surprise, but not nearly as surprising as her cool palm on his cheek and her warm lips on his own.

The kiss was hesitant, unsure. It only lasted a second, barely registering as a touch, before it was over and her eyes darted from his face to her lap in shame. Her fingers fidgeted together as if she didn't know what to do with them. While her kiss was over way too quickly, the moments afterward seemed to drag forever.

He stopped those twisting hands, bringing them towards him until her body followed. Those hands, that hair; both were so soft. So were her lips. He kissed her slowly until both of their insecurities washed away and left only pure desire.

"Rose," she nipped at his jaw and ground down on his hips as he spoke, making it hard to think. "Roza, you don't have to do this."

Pure regret flooded his system when she pulled back. There wasn't the relief he had half expected in her expression, but rejection. Well, that and a bit of the anger he had been trying to avoid earlier.

"I know I don't _have_ to Dimitri. I want to. For the first time in a long time, I want to."

And like that, every question about right or wrong, yes or no, duty and honor and sacrifice flew out the window. He became selfish. He became greedy. And damn it, he fell in love with this beautiful girl, if only for the night.

He thanked God that Ivan was a deep sleeper as he carried her her across the room and especially when the door to the spare room hit the wall. Her legs were still wrapped around him and even though the bed was only a few feet away, he was seriously considering taking her against the wall. Her fingers tore into his shirt as she tried to pull it off before he had even set her down but he was no better with his had already up that tiny little skirt of hers.

The errant thought that St. Vladimir's Academy had truly wasted some promising talent ran through his mind as they sparred to pin the other. She was very good at distracting him, however, and she eventually won their little sparring match. Her victory was acknowledged with a smile and rewarded handsomely.

Her body starting to smoothly slide down his, making his heart race a little more with every inch she made. As much as it enticed him, he stopped her and brought her face close to his again. The furrow in her brow asked the unspoken question.

"I love the thought of your lips around me," he replied, "but I need to kiss you. I need..."

She seemed to know exactly what he needed, even when he didn't. As their lips played again, her fingers wrapped around him instead. He groaned. It had been so long since he had felt anyone else's touch. Those small, deft hands, working him with such vigor...it was enough to nearly send him over the edge.

His salvation was to focus on her instead. His own hand, so much larger and so much rougher, slipped between her legs until he found that little spot and could distract her. He circled her clit, feeling so much more inexperienced and unsure of himself, but quickly swelling again with pride as he watched her eyes close with a breathy, "Oh. God. Oh, fuck."

He nibbled at her earlobe, loving the way she wildly bucked against his hand. He sped up and slowed down, adding and releasing pressure to measure her rapture and find what pleased her most. Once he discovered her weakness, he used it: not against her, but for her. This wasn't a battle but a harmonization. They moved together.

He could feel the moment she peaked and he watched in awe. It wasn't some loud, screaming declaration. She came quietly, tucking herself into his body and shaking as he held her through it.

That was the sexiest thing she could have done for him.

His cock was hard against her and the second she seemed clear minded enough to realize it after her orgasm, she appeared eager to return the favor. She rubbed him in earnest while reaching over to grab her skirt.

Before he could question what she was doing, she pulled a thin packet from a nearly hidden pocket. He tried to sputter something about being clean, but she stopped him by flipping her hair over her shoulder to reveal the scars on her neck.

"Remember?" His eyes darted between the blatant bite marks (especially the still-fresh one) and her face. "I can pretty much guarantee that no matter how many people you've slept with, I can tack on a zero."

Six...he'd been with six women before Rose. That would mean sixty or more for her.

There was a part of him that wanted to stop everything right that second – not because he was disgusted by a number of men she had been with. Absolutely not. It was the fact that she needed to do so just to survive. She deserved better. She deserved more than people using her. And there was a part of him that wondered if he was any better than all those other men.

She already knew him well, though. She didn't look ashamed or hurt or angry when he pulled away a tad. All she did was pull him back with a gentle kiss.

"I _want_ to be with you, okay?"

He nodded, knowing that there was no way she could be saying that to placate him when there was so much sincerity in her eyes.

"You're different. I promise. I _choose_ to be with you, Dimitri."

"I choose you too, Roza. I choose this." His fingers traced a line from her eyes, down her cheek, neck, breast, and waist until his hand was resting right against her hipbone.

"Then kiss me. Show me."

And he gladly did. He kissed every part of her face that he could reach until he felt her sheath him entirely in the condom and then he was pushing apart her legs.

He couldn't help but take a glance at her spread out before him, shifting more on the sheets every second he denied her. Her thighs were so perfect when he ran his palms down that hot flesh, and he gladly accepted the invitation her moan provided.

Pressing into her was even more than he could have imagined. Tight, hot. It was a reminder of just how long it had truly been and it made him wonder, no, certain that this was different than any thing he had ever felt with anyone else. He couldn't think about that now, though. All he could think about was that exact moment. And the next. And the next.

The way she sighed when he filled her completely. The way hummed at his first thrust. How she grabbed his ass to pull him closer.

And the way she looked at him. Any moment she wasn't closing her eyes and completely lost to her own ecstasy or kissing him hard as she tied her fingers in his hair, she was looking right at him. And he couldn't take his eyes off of her. She was absolutely beautiful and he didn't want to forget a single moment.

The magic of their moment was nearly broken by his own insecurities. He questioned if she was actually being satisfied as much as he was. She was so quiet. Breathy sighs and small whimpers, but oh so quiet. It was such a huge contrast to how he had heard her before.

It wasn't until her back arched up and body tightened around him, her lip firmly between her teeth while her nails dug deep into his biceps that he realized...there was no faking this. There was no faking this feeling – physical or emotional – between them.

And that thought was enough to push him over that final edge, that final thrust, that final moment when he felt like he lost himself to her.

Afterward, they just laid there with their foreheads touching, breathing in one another until their hearts stopped racing. Her thumb brushed the stubble on his jaw back and forth, soothing both of them. When he finally worked up the motivation to move away, it was only with the utmost remorse.

"Would you like -"

"There's some wipes in my purse."

It was a jarring how she cut him off. She didn't even seem to notice though, already gathering some of her clothing from around the room. He left but he didn't reach for her purse. Instead, he grabbed a warm cloth and one of the small bottles of water from the mini fridge.

When he returned, her clothes were set up on the dresser and she was sitting on the bed wearing his shirt. That icy worry he had felt just moments ago melted instantly when he mimicked her sleepy smile.

She winced for half a second as she used the wet cloth and that was all the reminder he needed that she had been with two men tonight. For all he knew, maybe more.

She did what she had to to survive. She was a victim of circumstance, but she didn't seem like a victim. She was strong; confident in who she was. She had made the best of what she could. There was a huge part of himself wanted so badly to save her, but like she had told him with that flippant grin, 'guardians are so protective,' and he was, especially of her now, but he realized that she didn't need saving. She was more than capable and would build her own life on her own terms. Something told him that if he tried to "save her" it would only end up badly for him. She didn't want his pity. Perhaps he could, however, give her his comfort and trust.

So he slipped back into bed, tucked her into his arms, and held her all night. He may not be able to save her, but he could shield her from the horrors of the world for one night. Her fingers linked with his just moments before he fell asleep.

The next morning, the spot next to him was cold and empty. No note. No sign. Nothing to indicate that they had ever been together. She was gone.

Making the bed and wiping the last sign of what might have been, there was no way he couldn't be bitter, angry even. He was so worried about being the one to use her, he never even considered for a moment that he was the one being used.

He did his best to shed those feelings as he walked out and saw Ivan eating an apple, feet up on the table.

"Dimitri! I was just about to wake you up, man! I haven't seen you sleep in this late since that bender way back at the Academy." He ripped through another bite and grinned. "Not that you don't deserve it. You work too hard. We really should get you laid."

Ivan laughed at his own joke, and while Dimitri would have humored him any other morning, it stung today.

"Whatever. I don't even care." The coffee in his cup wasn't nearly strong enough, but glaring at it didn't fix the issue.

Ivan shoved the room service folder towards him, looking like the cat who caught the canary. "Order up, man. You must be hungry. We gotta go soon anyway."

Flipping through the options, he asked the question without thinking. "Should we stop by a feeder?"

"No man," Ivan chuckled, "I'm good. That Rose girl last night was amazing. Full deal and everything."

Dimitri's eyes closed and he nearly bit his tongue with how quickly his jaw tightened.

"And did you hear her?" Ivan continued "'Oh! Oh! Don't stop! Oh, Ivan! Oh God! Yes! Yes! Harder! Ahhh!'" Ivan mimicked the high pitched cries Rose had made with him, each one getting louder as he rocked the table to match the cadence his bed last night.

Dimitri felt ready to snap. He couldn't take it anymore. His friend's flippancy, Rose's rejection - it was all too much.

But then...he remembered. He remembered the way she bit her lip. He remembered the way she pulled him so close as if somehow she thought he'd run away. He remembered the way she fell apart beneath him; not with a scream, but with a sigh. He remembered what was real.

He remembered how they had fallen asleep with him holding her in his arms and how tightly she held his hand.

That was real. She was gone now, but for a little while, they had enjoyed something real. It was a luxury that neither of them could ever truly hope for, but they had found it together...

"Anyways," Ivan broke his revelation, "I got an email and it turns out I'll be doing business over here quite a bit. At least several times a month for the next few years. I've already texted Little Miss Rose and told her I'd pay extra if she made herself available to fit my schedule. Damn girl is totally worth it." He gave a sly wink. "Who knows, maybe I'll see if she wants to take on my guardian too."

The smile Dimitri had been holding back finally spilled onto his lips. He'd see her again. "No...I think I'll be okay."


	4. 3 How I met your mother

**Title:** How I met your mother…

 **Author:** NB313

 **Background:** This is not a cross-over with the sitcom but it's inspired by it. Sit back and enjoy the tale of how our handsome Russian met his beautiful Roza, as he re-tells their epic saga to their unborn child. Quick thank you to princesslara99 for her assistance on all things medical.

 **Format:** One-shot.

* * *

 **xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx PRESENT DAY xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx**

The storm hit the city hard and a tired, drenched Rose waddled into the warm apartment trying to be extra quiet. But it's hard to be stealthy when your tummy is the size of a large watermelon and your centre of gravity is off.

"Fuck!"

She hissed as pain shot through her toe after stubbing it on the table by the door.

"Roza?"

Rose froze in the middle of removing her scarf as she realised the hoarse whisper came from the dark lounge and not their bedroom.

A large figure rose and shuffled over to her. Rose saw the tired expression on her husband's face and cursed her clumsiness for the millionth time, frustrated to have woken him up when he clearly needed the sleep.

"Sorry Cowboy, didn't mean to wake you. I blame your spawn for being a klutz!"

The mention of his child suddenly melted all of Dimitri's fatigue. In two large strides he was on his knees, welcoming his baby home.

"Welcome home, little angel. How were we today?"

Some would have taken offense at seeing their partner bypass them and showering their progeny with attention instead, but seeing Dimitri address their child before her only increased Rose's love for him She knew without a doubt he would be a wonderful father – after all he was already a loving husband. But that didn't stop her from messing with him.

"Hmm…What am I, just the incubator? Nice to see where your priorities lie Cowboy…real nice…way to make a girl feel special…"

She added a little sniffle at the end and hung her head low, hiding the little grin that threatened to escape knowing that in 3 seconds her husband would be grovelling for her forgiveness.

Three…

Two…

One…

"Oh no Roza! Sorry…I mean…I didn't mean to ignore you…oh hun, you know I love you so much. Our child wouldn't be possible without you…You are always a priority for me, my love…"

Dimitri stood up and pulled her into his warm embrace – the last thing he needed was another hormonal 'breakdown'. They had reduced since Rose entered her 7 month mark, but the first 6 months had been a nightmare with Dimitri walking around on eggshells.

Rose lost her motivation to continue her charade when she felt Dimitri's warmth seep into her cold, shivering skin. This was her heaven, her happy place. She could endure the worst if it meant coming home to his arms every night. It was hard to remember her life before his love and comfort.

"Come Blue, let's get you out of these wet clothes and into something warm…"

Before Rose could protest, he picked her up and carried her into their bedroom. Normally Rose would have reprimanded him for 'man-handling' her, but tonight she loved the attention. He placed her delicately on the edge of their bed before making his way to their dresser to grab some sweatpants and one of his large shirts. Even though it was late he knew her condition kept her in a constant state of hunger, so Dimitri enquired if she wanted something to eat.

"That would be heavenly Cowboy…I'm happy to have leftovers – just feed me!"

Smiling at her indulgently, Dimitri passed her the clothes and with a quick kiss headed to the kitchen. Rose thought about changing straight into the night clothes but then remembered all the bodily liquids she had unfortunately been splattered with during her shift and even though she had showered thoroughly at the hospital another quick one couldn't hurt!

By the time she made her appearance, Dimitri had finished making them a late night 'snack' of bacon & egg rolls, her favourite! Without saying a word for a full 5 mins, Rose was single-mindedly focused on devouring the first of her two rolls. Dimitri couldn't help but chuckle at his wife's behaviour, all the while gazing at her with love.

It didn't take them long to finish the food and after a quick wash-up, Dimitri carried his yawning wife back to bed. He loved carrying her whenever he could, even with the baby she wasn't that heavy and his heart swelled every time he held her in his arms.

Laying her down in bed, he settled near her feet and got ready to give her one of his special foot rubs. Removing the fluffy socks, he worked his fingers all over her left foot before moving to her right. It didn't take long for Rose to start moaning which started affecting Dimitri in a whole other way.

Finally relaxed, Rose sat up on her hill of pillows which allowed Dimitri to move to his new favourite spot – lying across her lap, close to her swollen belly.

"Hello, my angel…this is your papa…"

Dimitri loved whenever the baby acknowledged his voice – usually in the form of a strong kick. Of course Rose wasn't always keen on these interactions, especially when the kick caught one of her organs. Stroking over the spot the baby had just kicked – both to soothe the pain and calm the little critter – Rose gazed at her handsome husband while her other hand massaged his scalp.

It was Dimitri's turn to moan – he always loved Rose's scalp massages because it felt like with every brush of her fingers she plucked away his worries. Getting into a comfortable position, he moved the shirt she was wearing away from her belly so his cheek could rest against her bare skin. It didn't help his diminishing erection, having that skin to skin contact, but any chance to get as close to the baby as possible was a perfect moment for him. Making sure he wasn't leaning on her bladder, he pondered on which story to tell their child tonight.

This was something they had started after the 6 month mark – to not only to get the baby used to their voices but to hopefully associate 'story-time' with 'bed-time'.

"Hmm what story should I tell you tonight, little one?" Dimitri thought out loud.

"How about Vasilissa the beautiful?" Rose suggested. She had grown fond of Russian folklore ever since Dimitri regaled with the stories he had grown up with.

Dimitri considered it for a few seconds but dismissed the suggestion. His eyes twinkled with mischief as he gazed into those beautiful brown orbs that belonged to his wife. She knew the look and realised which story he had decided on.

"No, Dimitri. That's a long story – almost as long as the Odyssey and I'm tired…"

Dimitri wouldn't be budged – this was his favourite story and he loved sharing it with their little angel. He quickly sat up and fluffed the pillows around Rose, making sure she was as comfortable as possible.

"You don't have to stay awake love…this story is for the little one…so if you want to sleep…sleep…"

Rose rolled her eyes in exasperation but refused to admit that though she didn't _NEED_ to stay awake she _WANTED_ to. She hadn't told Dimitri but this was her favourite story too. But to keep up appearances she gave a resigned huff and prompted him to start his tale.

Dimitri wasn't a naïve fool, he knew that even though Rose had her eyes closed, she would be listening to every word he uttered – poised to correct any 'mistakes' he made in his narration. With a small grin he placed a tender kiss near her navel before beginning the epic saga.

"Let me tell you a tale about a man & a woman and how fate kept bringing them together until they finally realised they were destined for one another…  
Let me tell you, little one…the story of how I met your mother…"

* * *

 **xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx 6 YEARS AGO xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx**

Dimitri entered the large ballroom nervously. This was the first time he was attending the charity ball that the Fire Department of City of New York threw every year. He and his best friend/work colleague Ivan had been promoted to lieutenants at the start of the year and one of the requirements of the position was the mandatory attendance of the event so they could 'woo' the sponsors and patrons who contributed to the volunteer arm of the department plus the other programs and charities it ran.

Dimitri loved his job – being a firefighter was a rewarding occupation and he loved helping people. But like any job, there was aspects he didn't enjoy and this was one of them.

"Stop being such a stick in the mud. Think of it as a big party with fancy food and free drinks. Not to mention the possibility of finding yourself some great pussy", Ivan smirked, trying to ease his poor friends nerves.

Dimitri rolled his eyes at his friends parting comment – of course that's all Ivan ever cared about, pussy and free booze. Sometimes he wondered how he even became friends with the man who could easily beat his cousin Adrian for the title of New York City's biggest man-whore. Adjusting the black mask on his face and thanking God that this year's theme was masquerade, he followed Ivan towards the bar, hoping to remain in the shadows for as long as it was humanly possible.

Of course their Captain spotted them straight away and he didn't come empty handed, bringing with him a few members of high society who were also big donors. Dimitri felt the nerves kick up a notch and he desperately looked around for an excuse to make an escape when he saw her.

As the small crowd dispersed from the dance floor, his eyes zoned in on the most beautiful creature he had ever scene. She was wearing a long, dark blue dress that clasped on one shoulder and left the other exposed in a delectable manner. Her long brown hair was styled to drape across that exposed shoulder and she wore minimal jewellery. He couldn't see much of her face since the mask she wore covered most of her features, except her lips which were two dark red beacons that seemed to beckon him.

He had started making his way over like a sailor being pulled by a tempting siren, when he felt Ivan's large hand clasp him by the arm and stir him towards their table. He barely noticed the conversation nor did he take note of what he was eating or drinking. His focus, both directly and indirectly, was on the woman who sat on a table directly opposite him – way across the damn dance floor!

If the meal wasn't hard enough to endure, Dimitri had to sit through another hour of speeches and awards – his foot impatiently tapping on the floor as he waited for the moment he could jump up and make his way over to her.

Ivan watched his best friend from the corner of his eye. He too had eyed up the gorgeous creature but when he saw Dimitri's unabashed interest he internally decided to step-aside and let his friend try his luck. He had known Dimitri since the academy and they had bonded over their Russian background and in all those years he had never seen the man so smitten with a member of the opposite sex.

Finally the MC announced the end of the 'formal' aspect of the ball and wished everyone an enjoyable night. He had barely finished his closing remark when Dimitri jumped out of his chair and turned to head towards the woman who had captured his attention… when damn his luck she was no longer at the table!

Fuming at his misfortune, his eyes swept the room as he eased himself away from the dance floor to avoid the overzealous ladies who had had enough to drink that they were more than happy to do the asking instead of being asked. He was about ready to give up when he spotted her, standing by the bar with a small drink in hand. She looked so regal and vulnerable all at the same time.

Without any further thought he made his way over to her and taking a deep breath tapped her exposed shoulder.

Rose had never attended the FDNY annual ball but since the restaurant her best friend Christian worked at was catering the event she was given a free ticket. She had been unsure on whether or not she would go as she really didn't want to turn up without a date and be a third wheel with Christian and his girlfriend Lissa, but since Christian was helping out that night – for the first half anyway – he wanted Lissa to have company and begged Rose to attend with the added incentive of meeting hot firefighters!

Lissa seemed nice and it helped that she was doing nursing as well – though her specialisation was paediatrics, while Rose was ER and surgery. They had arrived separately but had found each other at the table they were to occupy for the night. She had met Lissa on numerous occasions before and though she wouldn't give her the title of 'best friend' just yet she had definitely moved from an 'acquaintance' to a 'friend'.

They chatted lightly throughout dinner but each was occupied with their own thoughts. When the speeches finally ended, Rose made her way to the bar, desperate for a drink. She had spotted Christian entering in his rented tux and black mask and knew the rest of the night she would have to be by herself. Figuring she would have one final drink before heading home, she hadn't noticed the tall, handsome Russian who was determinedly making his way over to her.

A gentle tap bought her out of her reverie and she felt herself mesmerised by the most breathtaking set of chocolate brown eyes she had ever seen. He was tall, really tall, easily one of the tallest man she had seen that night. His hair was long and ended where his neck met his broad, muscly shoulders. Even in his tux she could see he was built and toned but not over-the-top like a body builder. Her mind rushed ahead, making her wonder how he looked naked and whether he had a six or an eight pack… Biting her lip, both nervously and in heat, she felt her panties further drench as the man studied her intensely.

"May I have this dance?" Dimitri finally whispered, his accent caressing the question as he finally found his voice that had been lost the moment he saw her biting her lower lip. It didn't help that his downstairs friend had decided to awaken and he was thankful he wasn't wearing tight dress pants.

She nodded her head and taking his offered hand, followed him to the dance floor. The moment their skin touched, palm to palm, a light electrical charge zinged through them causing goose bumps and breathlessness.

They let their bodies mould against each other and fell into a perfect rhythm that seemed to flawlessly match the music playing in the background. The people around them disappeared and time had no meaning – their entire focus on one another.

No words were exchanged as neither wanted to break the magical spell that seemed to have engulfed them. They had slowly inched closer until their lips finally met in a tender kiss. If skin to skin contact caused electricity to shoot through their bodies, kissing was like being in the centre of a bursting firework! Just as the kiss picked up its intensity, Rose's beeper went off in her little shoulder bag. Groaning in frustration, she knew who it was & why they had disturbed her on one of her rare nights off. With a heavy heart she gave the mysterious stranger one final kiss and parting gaze before fleeing the ballroom.

Dimitri stood transfixed on the dance floor, wondering what the hell had just happened and almost punched himself for his stupidity in not asking the beautiful creature her name or number. He was certain he had just met 'the one' and he couldn't believe he had just stood there and let her walk out of his life – possibly forever.

* * *

 **xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx 5 YEARS AGO xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx**

"We are gathered here today…to honour one of our own…a man most deserving of his new position…lets here it for our recently promoted Captain – Dimitri Belikov!" Ivan proclaimed, downing his shot of vodka in one go.

"HERE! HERE!"

The rest of the group chanted before downing their own shots. The man of the hour, Dimitri, was humbled by the group. To him they were more like family than colleagues, though as of today he was officially their 'Captain' and therefor their boss. Seeing their eager smiles, he knew he had to say something to acknowledge their acceptance of his promotion.

"I've said it before and I will say it again. It's an honour and a privilege to work with you all – you aren't just colleagues I work with, you are my family. To Rescue 1!"

While Dimitri was busy taking his vodka shot with the group, his cousin Adrian finally made an appearance. Being a hot-shot lawyer meant working long hours and having limited time for fun, so Dimitri was ecstatic to see his favourite cousin had made it tonight. Adrian's loud voice boomed over the surrounding noise.

"I'm here and I'm thirsty…Load me up, my good man Ivan…I see you did the smart thing and bought the bottle".

By then the club was well and truly packed and it wasn't long before people from Rescue 1 started leaving until only four firefighters and one lawyer remained. They had reached the 'tipsy' stage – where your inhibitions are down and you're willing to do crazy things. It didn't take long for Spiridon, Ivan and Adrian to come up with something senseless to do that night.

"I'm telling you…I can get more numbers than the two of you combined!" boasted Ivan as he almost spilled his drink on Dimitri while gesturing passionately on his point. Ivan knew how his body and occupation drove the ladies crazy and was confident he could 'out-woo' the others. Spiridon was a firefighter too but had a 'slimy tongue' – the moment he opened his mouth he would say something stupid or offensive and was more likely to get slapped than dates.

Dimitri took in their banter, shaking his head indulgently. This wasn't the first time the three squared off on their male prowess and it wouldn't be the last, but it never failed to make their outings entertaining. As always, Adrian took charge.

"Ok…Ok…let's make a bet…the one who gets the _least_ amount of phone numbers shouts everyone drinks for the rest of the night. The game – we have half an hour to get as many numbers as possible… Oh and let's keep it honest & not cheat ok! Gents – lets hunt!"

For the next 30 mins Dimitri and their 'probie', Eddie, watched in amusement as Ivan, Spiridon and Adrian worked the room. They chuckled every time Spiridon was slapped or had a drink thrown in his face. The other two seemed to be faring better but it didn't look like they were getting a 100% hit-rate either. Once the time period had expired, the three made their way back to the where Dimitri and Eddie were sitting.

"Ok gents, present your numbers!" Dimitri declared, laughing at their cocky expressions.

With an overly dramatic flourish, Adrian presented 10 napkins and after a quick look everything looked legit. Ivan next produced his and even though he had 12, 2 of them were disqualified because Dimitri recognised the girl's names and remembered them to be his exes. Even though they hadn't outlined the specifics it was agreed at that point that it was unfair to include girls who they had known from previous encounters because naturally their history influenced them. Everyone was convinced that Spiridon was the loser, especially with the number of times Dimitri and Eddie had seen him strike out, but to their amazement he produced 10 numbers as well – though one napkin contained 5 numbers as he had stumbled across a wild bachelorette party and had immediately introduced himself as a firefighter!

"Damn it's a tie! What the hell are we going to do?!" Spiridon grumbled, knowing just how hard he had to work just to get those 10.

The other two started to protest as well and a major argument was on the horizon when Eddie spoke up.

"We need a tie-breaker and so I propose that you have to woo and get the number from the next woman to walk into the club. Hopefully this will give us the clear loser".

The three looked at each other and nodded in agreement. They only hoped it wouldn't cause another draw and that she was smoking hot!

As the five men turned towards the entrance, Dimitri saw her first and felt his mouth go dry. She seemed to glow in an ethereal manner, even in the dark, smoky club. Long, wavy brown hair fell across her shoulders and the black short dress hugged her curves perfectly. She was scanning the room for something or someone before heading straight to the bar, greeting the bartender in a familiar manner with a kiss on the cheek. It was Eddie's sharp elbow in his ribs that bought Dimitri out of his trance.

"Where you thinking of the girl who just walked to the bar as the tie-breaker candidate? She is definitely hot and could be a good challenge for the Stooges…Lets nominate her"

Before Dimitri could object Eddie was already pointing her out to them. Dimitri could see the hunger in their eyes while they undressed her in their minds. She seemed to bring out a whole other level of competitiveness in the men and each were determined to win the favour of this female. Dimitri, on the other hand, wanted to beat the crap out of the idiots for ogling this perfect creature, who looked vaguely familiar though he didn't know from where or why. He also felt strangely possessive of her and didn't want any of them near her. But he was too late to stop them, since Adrian was already walking towards her having won the deciding round of _'rock, paper, scissors'_.

He held his breath and watched as his cousin strike out in less than a minute. Waiting 5 mins after his return, Spiridon strode forward, strutting like the arrogant ass he was. He barely got a word out before she sent him packing as well. Dimitri prayed that Ivan would fare the same fate, but felt a knot in his stomach when he noted the familiar glint in his best friend's eyes – it was the glint which promised a slow, steady approach to whatever problem he faced which almost always guaranteed a successful resolution. He watched Ivan approach the dark hair beauty, but rather than speak to her straight away, he seemed to ask if the seat next to her was taken before calling the bartender for a drink.

Having received his drink, Ivan turned on the charm and before long was conversing with the girl. Dimitri felt his heart sink to his stomach when he saw the girl slipping something into Ivan's hands before giving him a parting kiss on the cheek, paralysing Ivan momentarily. He was still frozen in his seat when the girl left the bar area and disappeared towards the restrooms.

Ivan practically skipped back to the group, holding the folded paper in his hand like it was a gold medal.

"Read and weep fuckers!" he boasted.

Adrian and Spiridon stood there with gaping mouths and practically lunged for the piece of paper, almost ripping it in half.

"Hey assholes! Careful with that…I actually want to ask the girl out and will need the num…What the hell are you two idiots laughing at?!" Ivan bristled when he saw them crack up as they read the napkin.

Spiridon and Adrian clutched their sides as they fell into another bout of loud cackling. Seeing that they weren't going to be forthcoming on their strange behaviour, Ivan plucked the napkin out of their hands only to have his eyes widen in shock.

 _ **If you think you can smooth talk your way into my panties after having only met me 5 mins ago…you are sorely mistaken – even if you are a hot firefighter!**_

A huge grin appeared on Dimitri's face as he read the sassy message over Ivan's shoulder. But just as quickly his mood fell as he wondered if he had any shot with the gorgeous Goddess – maybe she was rejecting the guys because she was already taken? It wouldn't be a surprise since she was so breathtaking!

"Let's just call it a truce with the damn wager – I'm losing my buzz from all this hard work…I'm getting myself another drink – who wants one?" mumbled a disgruntled Ivan as he headed back to the bar.

Dimitri excused himself from any other drinks for the night and headed towards the restrooms. He was buzzed enough as is and had work the next day so didn't want a killer hangover as well. He was so lost in his thoughts he wasn't paying attention to where he was walking and bumped hard into someone exiting the ladies.

"Hey watch it!" yelled the petite figure, who bounced off his hard, muscled chest and would have fallen on her arse if his reflexes hadn't kicked in and grabbed her waist in a bid to re-balance her. Dark hair fell back and a soft gasp came out – he wasn't sure if it was from him or her. Their eyes locked in an intense gaze and million thoughts were communicated between them. Their coming together felt so familiar that they had forgotten they were blocking the entrance to the ladies. The banging of a door finally startled them out of their stupor and they sheepishly pulled apart. Forgetting his need to pee, Dimitri stood beside the woman that had captured his attention – tongue-tied and unsure of what to say.

"Do you wanna grab a drink with me?" she asked shyly, gazing at him through her thick lashes.

 _Here was his chance!_ He racked his brain for a suave, flirtatious response but when he opened his mouth could only muster a lame, "Sure".

Wanting to smack himself he silently followed her back to the bar, praying the guys wouldn't notice him.

It was Eddie that spotted their captain and his mouth instantly fell open when he saw who he was chatting up.

"Guys…GUYS! You're not gonna believe who our captain is with…"

After sharing few standard pleasantries, Dimitri realised he hadn't introduced himself when the girl placed a delicate finger across his lips in a gesture of silence.

"Let's play a little game – we won't share our real names or any other identifying details to each other. This includes occupation. We can talk about things in general…weather, current events, what we like/dislike…but nothing that could reveal our identity…Then we will leave it to fate to determine if we should get to know one another properly….What do you think? You keen to play my game?" she ended her little request in a seductive purr.

' _Like I could refuse her anything!'_ thought Dimitri while he nodded in agreement. As his body registered her finger against his lips an electric shock surged through his body – a sensation he hadn't felt since last year's ball. Dimitri eyed the woman in front of him in a new light – could she be his 'Cinderella'?

Rose felt the shock as well and she too was reminded of the FDNY ball. She had kicked herself later for leaving the ball in a Cinderella-like escape and had desperately hoped she would bump into him again. And here was fate, throwing them together once more. She was reconsidering her 'anonymous' game, knowing how much she had regretted walking away knowing nothing about her mysterious stranger, but the scene had been set and plus she didn't want to appear desperate.

Dimitri wondered if he should bring up the ball and ask if she had attended, but then that would go against the 'no revealing occupation' rule since he would have to admit his connection to the ball. So he kept silent and led the girl, who had haunted his dreams since that night, onto the dance floor.

Just like that night, their bodies took over and everything else faded away. It wasn't long before they were dirty dancing and had somehow found their way to a dark corner of the dance floor.

Dimitri was nothing like Ivan when it came to women – he treated them with utmost respect and allowed them to dictate how things progressed. But tonight he embraced his alpha persona. The moment they were completely immersed in the dark, he pushed Rose hard against the wall and devoured her lips in a heated kiss.

Rose lost her ability to breathe as she was ravished and though she needed air she refused to let Dimitri go and pulled him closer while her body begged for them to merge into a singular entity. Her fingers grasped his hair and nearly pulled them from the roots as she launched herself into his arms and wrapped her legs around his hips.

Dimitri growled in desire, as he steadied her by grabbing that perfectly toned arse in his large hands. They seemed to fit perfectly in his palms like pieces of puzzles falling into place and he wondered what other body parts would fit together just as perfectly. Sensing her struggling for air, he mercifully moved his lips from her luscious ones and trailed them along the soft ridge of her jaw before nipping and licking along her neck – _God did she taste divine!_

Rose wanted nothing more than to give into her lust. Her current behaviour was definitely out of character but she couldn't help it nor could she blame the alcohol because she only had the one drink. But something about this accented stranger made her want to throw caution to the wind and go wild. Some vague part of her realised she was actually grinding her wet core against his hard erection – his very large, hard erection – and she let out another moan in pleasure.

But before anything further could happen, Dimitri's phone buzzed loudly along with his beeper.

' _FUCK!'_ he thought, as he gently let Rose down on her wobbly feet.

He didn't need to see the message on his beeper or who the missed call was from to know he had to leave. It was his night off but if his pager AND phone went off it meant something big was going down. This time it was his turn to leave them in the middle of something that felt like a once in a lifetime moment.

"Can we really not tell each other our names?" he mumbled sadly, his forehead leaning against hers as he waited for his heart rate to return to normal and hopefully in the process diminish the hard-on that was begging to burst out of his pants.

She understood the desperation he felt as she felt the same way. Suddenly a brilliant idea came to her and she hoped it would be a good compromise.

"Since I'm certain this is our second meeting, why don't we give each other nicknames to remember by. Fate bought us together twice already and something tells me it will bring us together again. Hmm, my nickname for you would have to be Cowboy because you clearly like Westerns".

Dimitri pulled back in surprise and even though it was almost pitch black in their corner, he could see her facial expression well enough to note her eyes were looking towards his belt buckle. It was a rectangle buckle that had a sheriff star on the side which appeared like a shooting star. Dimitri felt himself blush – his love of all things Western was his guilty pleasure and this belt buckle was a present from his youngest sister Vika on his 30th birthday.

Rose couldn't help but giggle at Dimitri's reaction to her nickname, but she couldn't think of a better one for him. She wouldn't be surprised if his winter coat was a duster to complete the cowboy look. Her hands made their way from his thick, soft hair to his hard cheeks. The heat that was radiating off them let her know her assessment of his love of Westerns had caused him to blush and she felt herself melt even more for the handsome man.

Dimitri eyed her up & down and suddenly remembered the dress from the ball and that the only jewellery she wore – both tonight and that night – was a silver necklace with a blue pendant that looked like an eye. His grinned mischievously as he figured out his nickname for her.

"I dub thee Blue…" he whispered huskily. His phone buzzed again and he knew Ivan was probably trying to get hold of him – if he was called in so would the rest of the team and he prayed the guys were sober enough to handle whatever situation they were about to walk into.

Nothing more was said, but they both leant in and stole one final kiss as they each silently prayed to the fates to bring them together again and preferably soon!

* * *

 **xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx 4 YEARS AGO xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx**

Rose was having that amazing dream again.

It was a mash-up of the night of the ball 2 years ago and the club last year. Like a movie montage, the scenes sliced between the two nights as she watched her 'Cowboy' glide her across the elegant ballroom and then suddenly the image would change to them in the dark dance floor where they had grinded against each other.

She knew when she was coming to the good part – the make-out session at the club – but before she could see it she was pulled into a conscious state by her damn phone!

"What the hell!? Someone better be dying!" she answered angrily, having just come off a double shift.

She sat up the moment she heard Alberta's voice – the head of nursing would only call you when there was a Code Orange and everyone was needed to help out with the large influx of patients coming into the ER.

Living close to the hospital had its perks and in less than 15 mins she burst through the ER already in her nurse scrubs and her hair in her customary bun. A soft gasp escaped her lips as she tried to not let the scene overwhelm her.

It was complete bedlam – people screaming, crying and shouting as nurses and doctors rushed around looking like headless chicken. The poor EMTs were struggling transporting an endless stream of patients.

Taking a deep breath to centre herself and ensure the adrenaline that was coursing through her system would help rather than hinder her process, Rose eyed Alberta's frantic form as she tried to bring some semblance of structure in the chaos around her.

"Where do you need me Bertie?" she asked the frazzled head nurse.

Giving her a thankful smile, Alberta directed her towards the worst of the patients, knowing her existing experience in ER and surgery made her the ideal candidate to handle patients suffering from severe injuries while they waited for doctors, surgeries and scans.

She spotted the area of the ER that had been set-aside for the worst of the worst and made her way over, snapping the rubber gloves in place as her body fell into 'nurse mode'.

Her steps briefly faltered when she recognised the figure that lay before her – it was the guy from the club, the one who had thought he had successfully charmed her enough to be graced with her number.

 _Damn what was his name…Ian…Isaac…Ivan!_

He lay groaning in pain and had soot on his face. Even with the oxygen mask she could see him struggling to breathe – his lungs probably still full of smoke. She gently took the face mask off before re-examining his wounds. Most were superficial, but then she came across the broken arm and finally understood why he was complaining.

"Dimitri….Dimitri…"

He whispered, sounding slightly delirious as he fell in and out of consciousness. Rose shook herself out of her temporary shock and completed her examination. She was almost finished with her final tests when she heard a shout from one of the EMTs.

"Code Blue! We need help here!"

She rushed out from her spot and almost tripped over her legs when she saw who they had bought into the ER. It was her Cowboy and from the sound of the flat-lining his heart had stopped! It was her internal scream of anguish that finally kicked-started her body into action and seeing the others occupied, she ran over and jumped onto the gurney, straddling him as she administered CPR frantically while others came to help move them to a proper station and someone finally bought over a defib.

Knowing the longer he was out the harder it would be to resuscitate him, Rose took charge and made it her personal mission to bring him back – fate had yet again bought them together and she'd be damned if he died on her watch!

She was about to shock him again for the 3rd time and watched as her colleagues sympathetically started to disperse, feeling she was wasting her time on a lost cause. Before the machine had powered up, Rose leant over Dimitri and whispered furiously.

"You better get your arse back to me Cowboy! No way are you dying today! Not on my watch! So wake the fuck up!"

The paddles had charged and she delivered what she hoped was the final jolt of electricity needed to jump start his heart – if this didn't work she didn't know what else she could do! Whether it was the 3rd shock or Rose's words but suddenly Dimitri's heart started back up.

Rose almost collapsed in relief but it wasn't over yet and she quickly got to work in setting him up with the necessary drugs and machines. From what Rose could tell there was a large bump on the side of his head and he had bruising on his chest which probably meant broken ribs. Scheduling him for urgent scans to check for internal bleeding, she finally stepped aside and surveyed the unconscious man. Noting the bag of belongings on the side, she picked up the wallet and finally discovered his name via his licence.

Dimitri Belikov

It took Dimitri another 3 weeks before he regained consciousness – the bump on his head had been serious and had required some minor surgery to relieve pressure. As he felt himself re-entering the world of the living, he felt a soft hand brush against his cheek, caressing him with a loving a touch.

When his eyes finally gained focus he found himself staring back into eyes that had haunted his dreams intermittently over the last two years.

"Hey there Cowboy…welcome back..." she whispered as a lone tear fell down her cheek.

Rose had found a way to check up on Dimitri every day since his admittance. She had kept her distance when she noted he had visitors, choosing to spend time with him when it was just the two of them. She recognised some of the guys from his team when they came along with Ivan, who had only taken a week to be considered well enough to be discharged, though he did need a caste for his broken arm. And she had seen a gaggle of women who came in almost every day to see Dimitri and guessed they were his family.

But her focus right now was Dimitri as she stared into his beautiful eyes – his gaze caressing her soul like always.

Dimitri finally registered his environment and realised he was in a hospital. Then like a horrible dream, his mind replayed the terrible events of the night of the great fire. With a dry throat, he rasped out.

"How long have I been in here?"

Rose quickly gave him some water first, hearing the hoarseness of his voice. He eagerly consumed it and then tried to sit up, feeling his muscles strain and complain against his efforts.

"Take it easy Dimitri, you've been in the hospital for over 3 weeks and have only just woken up…"

Dimitri stopped mid-way in his endeavours to sit-up when he heard her say his name – _how the hell did she know his name?_

Rose looked at him sheepishly and pointed towards his wallet that was by his bedside. Following her motion, he grinned when he realised that now she knew his name it was only fair she shared hers.

Seeing the questioning look on his face she gave him an indulgent smile and was about to tell him her name when a loud screech from the door startled them.

"DIMKA! You're awake! Oh thank God – I was soo worried about you!"

Rose and Dimitri turned as one towards the woman who ran and fell into Dimitri's arms in an exaggerated manner. Dimitri flinched, not only from the sharp pain but upon remembering who this woman was.

Rose watched the scene unfold and felt her stomach twist in fear. The gorgeous dark haired beauty finally registered Rose's presence and pulling herself off Dimitri, she turned and with a fake smile extended her hand to Rose as she eyed her over.

"Hi, my name is Tasha – I'm Dimitri's girlfriend".

* * *

 **xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx 3 YEARS AGO xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx**

Rose couldn't breathe and a strange beeping noise finally pulled her out of her deep slumber.

Smoke.

Soo much smoke.

Fire.

It finally registered in Rose's head that there was a fire somewhere in the apartment and she needed to get out.

Grabbing her wallet, phone, keys and jacket she rushed out of her door and watched the other frightened residents rushing to the exit.

"Somebody help!"

Rose hesitated for a second before she turned back around and went towards the distressed voice.

Dimitri had just settled down for a late dinner at the fire station when the alarm went off. Sighing in frustration, he abandoned the twice heated food and quickly made his way to the truck, pulling on his jacket and helmet as he went.

Ivan was right beside him and they both piled into the truck while another was pulling out before them. The looked at the dispatch details for the address and situation and saw this was going to be another big one – maybe not as bad as the one they experienced last year but still a decent size.

As Ivan drove, Dimitri thought back to the day when Tasha had ruined everything. He could see Blue's pain reflected in her eyes before she removed all forms of emotion from her face. Giving them a polite smile she left them and that was the last time Dimitri saw her.

Luckily he was able to find out her name – Rose Mazur – from one of the other nurses, but whenever he asked for her, he was given excuses for why she no longer visited him. Dimitri wasn't stupid, he knew that finding out he had a girlfriend was the reason behind Rose's disappearance. The annoying thing was that Tasha wasn't his girlfriend – just someone he had gone on a few dates with. By the time he had been discharged he and Tasha were history, since she had left for Europe on a big photoshoot and didn't want a long distance thing.

He sent Rose countless bouquets – each containing a card stating which station he worked at and begging for a chance to explain. But she never came or called. He called the hospital numerous times until Ivan intervened and told him to leave it be. He had told Ivan all about Rose and the number of times fate had bought them together.

As they pulled up to the tall building that was well and truly blazing, they saw a small figure pulling a few people out of the entrance before heading back inside. Dimitri and Ivan shared a look – the last thing they needed was a bloody hero getting themselves killed in the chaos!

Dimitri headed straight inside, focused on getting the 'hero' and whoever else they were in there for out while Ivan and the others got busy putting out the fire. He pulled on his gas mask before entering, noting the bad smoke. Letting his senses and intuition guide him he found the 'hero' struggling to help an elderly lady from her apartment. Striding forward he realised the 'hero' was a small woman who picked that moment to collapse into his arms, and so throwing her effortlessly over his shoulder and supporting the old lady, he led them out.

Handing the unconscious 'hero' to the nearest EMT while another quickly took hold of the old lady, he went back into the building to do a last lap to ensure no one else was left. Satisfied the building was empty he came out and helped the boys subdue the last of the flames. Pulling off the mask he made his way over to the EMT who was looking after the 'hero'.

Dimitri gasped in surprise when he saw who it was that lay moaning on the gurney as an oxygen mask was placed over her face. And just like every other time he had seen her, the world faded away and he grabbed her small, familiar hands in his, feeling that amazing electricity pulse through them.

The sudden electric shock to her palm jolted Rose conscious and when her eyes focused on the handsome face that was close by she almost started crying.

"Hi Roza…" Dimitri whispered, and without further thought leant in and kissed her lips – lips he had been dying to kiss since that magical night at the ball and club. Rose melted into the kiss and allowed it to grow in passion until she remembered Tasha.

She reluctantly pulled back and questioned him.

"What about Tasha?"

Dimitri gave her a small smile while his eyes hungrily took in her features. Fate kept bringing them together and twice they had almost lost one another.

Dimitri wasn't going to make the same mistake a fourth time.

Having been given the all-clear by the EMT, Dimitri picked her up in his arms and carried her away from the chaos around them. Spotting a small park across the street, he carried her over and kept her in his arms as he took a seat on one of the benches.

Rose clutched Dimitri desperately – she too regretted letting him go all those previous times and knew that fate would intervene only on so many occasions. She inhaled deeply his manly scent – a mix of some enticing aftershave and sweat. When she realised they had stopped she turned her face towards the handsome Russian firefighter.

Remembering that she was still waiting for a response on her question about Tasha, Dimitri addressed this first.

"I'm sorry I didn't get the chance to clear up a few things at the hospital. Firstly, Tasha was never my girlfriend – we had gone out on a few dates and she seemed nice, but I could never see us have any kind of future. Secondly, I really hated that I never got your name or number the first two times we met and if I hadn't hounded the other nurses at the hospital, I wouldn't have found out your name the third time. Which brings me to the final and most important point – I love you Rose Mazur! I loved you the moment I saw you across that damn ballroom – you looked like a Goddess in that blue gown and even though I couldn't see your face, I just knew in my heart you were the 'one'. And then fate kept bringing us together and every time we separated, a part of me died knowing that I once again let you slip through my fingers. But I'll be damned if I make that mistake again – so I ask you now, Blue – super nurse and healer of the weak – will you please give me a proper chance and go out on a date with me?"

Rose felt warm tears cascading down her cheeks as she listened to Dimitri open his heart to her. After all that he confessed there was only one way for her to respond.

"Yes, my brave and daring Cowboy, I would love to go out with you and… I love you too, Dimitri Belikov…"

Grinning at her declaration, Dimitri didn't waste another minute to capture her lips – sealing their destinies together, forever.

* * *

 **xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx PRESENT DAY xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx**

"A year later, I asked your scary grandbaba his permission to marry his beautiful daughter. I was worried your mama would say no, since we had only been 'officially' going out for a year but I had barely gotten my proposal out when she threw herself on me, screaming _YES! YES! YES!_ Startling the other people at the restaurant. Suffice to say we were soon married and now await impatiently for your arrival. And so, my little one, that's how I met your mother…"

Dimitri leant forward and started peppering Rose's belly with kisses all the while whispering a string of Russian to the baby.

Rose chuckled at her husband's antics, but felt the love in her heart deepen as she watched him gush over their unborn child. She never tired of hearing their tale but a part of her wondered if it was really appropriate for the ears of someone under the age of 18.

"You know when the baby is born you can't tell them our story – not unless you make it PG".

Dimitri gave her an adorable pout, showing his disappointment for her need to censor him. Giggling at his expression, she bent down as much as her belly would allow and pulled Dimitri the rest of the way for a deep kiss.

"Though tonight Cowboy, if you are up for it, I would love for things to get a bit R-rated…" she purred seductively and gave him a sly wink.

Dimitri growled in anticipation and after drawing out another deep, passionate kiss, he whispered back.

"Your wish is my command, my beautiful Blue…"

 **The End**

 **A/N: Colour and codes used in hospitals vary from country to country and sometimes across hospitals within a country. The ones mentioned in this story are typically used in the US and Canada and prescribed by the British Columbia Ministry of Health.**

 **Information on the FDNY obtained from Wikipedia so excuse any inaccuracies.**


	5. 4 Finders Keepers

**Title:** Finders Keepers

 **Author:** thefangirldiaries

 **Background:** AH- Rose has been watching her back for 2 years on the run now after being threatened by a drug dealer. Having never met her birth parents, she didn't know that she was also running away from the very people trying to help her.

 **Format:** Undetermined; there may be a continuation of this story. As of now, it's a one-shot.

* * *

Chicago, 16 years old, June

* * *

Rose slid her hand in Lissa's and led her to the dance floor. The blonde followed without complaint, and started swaying to the music along with her friend. Rose was eyeing a man in the corner of the club, Lissa noticed. They stayed close to the edge of the dance floor, in perfect view of the man. Rose smiled at him and pressed herself closer to Lissa, moving her hips to the tempo and bumping into Lissa more than once.

The man in the corner leaned forward, putting his elbows on his knees as the black-haired girl pressed even closer to her pale friend. He smiled at her, all the encouragement she needed to start full-out grinding on her friend, making the man visibly excited. Lissa giggled and slid her hands along Rose's arm and hips as they danced for the man.

It wasn't long before Rose grew impatient, and she left Lissa with a sloppy hug and a whispered, "Be right back!" which was eaten up by the sounds of the club.

Lissa watched Rose walk away in shock. They'd come to this club together multiple times, but Rose had never approached a stranger at a club before. She reluctantly trusted that Rose wouldn't leave the club without her, so she made her way deeper into the dance floor, speaking the silent language of bodies with strangers.

Lissa never knew just what to expect with Rose, she could only pray that her friend would be careful. God knew there was no stopping her, and Lissa had given up trying long ago.

They had been together for 5 years, ever since it didn't work out with Lissa's last foster mother, and she came to live with Ms. Petrov, where Rose lived. Rose had already been with Petrov for 3 years before Lissa came to live with them, and both girls often wondered why their stern, strong-willed foster mother hadn't either adopted them or tossed them already. Not that either girl was complaining; both knew how bad it could be with another fosterer. And they had each other; all that they needed to survive.

Because their maternal figure was strict, the girls enjoyed sneaking out and tasting the urban nightlife behind Petrov's back.

Outside the club, in an alley full of trash, Rose had her legs wrapped around the man she'd danced for earlier, Rob. Her heart was beating fast, but not from excitement. He had her pressed up against the wall, his breath hot on her face.

"What?" she asked, not because she didn't hear him, but because she was hoping he would take back what he'd just said.

He grinned, and she noticed he was missing a tooth. "I said," he began slowly, talking down to her as if she were a child, "that I have a really great opportunity for you."

"No," Rose said stubbornly, "what you said after that."

He sighed and stepped back from the wall, setting Rose on her feet and holding her shoulders. "Look, all you have to do is carry it in your backpack or purse or whatever and drop it off at the address I give you. That's it! It's so easy!"

Rose opened and closed her mouth, gawking at the man who'd become severely less attractive since stepping outside of the club. "Y-you're a drug dealer," she finally said, her voice filled with contempt.

Rob narrowed his eyes, sensing Rose's moral compass. Before Rose could move, he placed his hands on either side of her face and stepped closer, caging her in. "You're going to make the delivery for me," he growled.

Rose pushed him back, surprising him and giving her enough space to dart out and away from him. She was fast, but not fast enough. His hand shot out and got hold of her hair. He pulled her back, making her yell out in pain. He got hold of her shoulder and threw her down to the ground, and followed after, pinning her down with his body. One hand pushed down with all his bodyweight on her shoulder, and she knew it would be bruised even if he let go now.

"I hoped you were going to be a good girl… You could have made a lot of money, you dumb bitch." He was panting, his hot breath causing Rose to cringe away from him, but the rest of her body was frozen. There was nothing she could do; he was too heavy for her to shove off, and he knew it. He smiled like the whole thing was entertaining to him. "Now, because I made a bad judgement call on you, I have to make sure you stay silent."

"I won't tell anyone!" she pleaded, "I'll stay quiet."

"You say that now, but if I let you go, you would run straight to the police." He stroked a hand down her face, sliding it down until it fastened around her neck. "I promise," Rose whispered. "I won't go to the police… please."

"Well, if you're not going to tell on me, then no one has to know about this." The hand the was pressing down on her shoulder moved down her chest and made its way to her skirt. Rose cried out for someone to help her as he rumpled up the fabric and his hand made its way to her flesh.

His other hand let go of her neck and reached for the back of his waistband, where he produced a handgun and brought it to Rose's temple. She felt the metal, warmed from Rob's body heat, pressed firmly against her skin and sweat.

A steel resolve came over Rose as she realized her only two options were to not fight and die, or to fight and maybe live. She thought that her heart had been beating so fast before that it had to stop beating altogether now; there was no blood rushing in her, only a strange, foreign calm.

He was saying something to her, taunting her, she could see that, she could feel his hand on her, but she couldn't hear anything above the ringing in her head. Before she could talk herself down, she jerked her knee into Rob's crotch and grabbed for the gun. He yelled out, cursing as his hands went instinctively to protect his penis, so Rose used the opportunity to shove his shoulder and roll him off of her.

Rose leapt to her feet with the gun held tight in both of her hands, pointed at Rob. He looked up at her with loathing, spit flying from his mouth as he tried to control his breathing. Rose noticed with satisfaction that his neck had turned red in splotches.

He swore again and lurched forward, the sudden movement made Rose tense and she pulled the trigger. The bullet went right passed Rob and hit a garbage can, the sound of the shot and the bullet hitting metal rung through the night air. She knew there was no way the people in the club didn't hear that.

The sense of calm was slipping away from her, but it didn't matter now, she thought, because she had the advantage. Someone would call the cops; or maybe a cop nearby had heard it himself.

Rob knew this too, and pulled himself together enough to raise his arms in defense and stand up to face her properly. He gave her a sardonic smile, "You can't keep me here until the cops arrive, you know."

"Why's that? I've got the gun," she said with as much bravado she could muster.

"Because I already put the coke in your bag."

"You-"

"When you went to the bathroom, before we came outside. I stuffed it in that cute black backpack." He jerked his chin to the item in question, on the ground next to the club's back exit. A sense of urgency came over her, and she wanted to be gone as badly as she knew he did.

"I've got a clean record," he stated.

Rose scoffed, "What do I care about your record?!"

"I'll tell them that the coke is yours. Who are they going to believe? The adult with the clean record or the underage foster-system girl with a fake ID? That's right, I checked out your wallet, too. One ID that says you can drink, and another that says you can just barely drive." Rose cursed herself for telling him she was a foster kid. "Plus," he added smugly, "my brother is a cop. The men on patrol tonight are his friends."

Rose clenched her jaw. She knew the odds were against her. As if he summoned them, Rose heard sirens in the distance, and looked at her bag in a panic, trying to decide what to do. Rob took a step forward, using her doubt to his advantage.

"Let me go, or I'll tell them the drugs belong to you. It's my word against yours," he reasoned.

He inched his way to the street, and Rose's aim followed him. He kept his hands up in a defensive gesture as he walked toward freedom. He didn't walk right past her, though, and stopped to survey her.

"No matter where you go, I'll find you. I don't leave business unfinished," he threatened.

"Neither do I," Rose said through gritted teeth as she pulled the trigger once more. The bullet lodged itself somewhere in his midsection and he crumpled to the ground, crying out. Rose ran over and stuffed the gun in her bag and opened the back door to the club.

Find Lissa, she thought. Find Lissa, and never come back.

* * *

Portland, 18 years old, August

* * *

Rose woke up at 2 pm, just in time to throw on her waitress uniform and minimal makeup and speed walk a block over to Gina's Diner for her shift at 3. Her manager, Leslie, caught Rose's eye and smiled as she walked in. "Hey there, sweetie." Leslie was only 21, but she spoke like a grandmother. Rose loved working when Leslie was there; she knew she would have a fun shift full of snide comments about awful customers.

After the incident with the drug dealer in Chicago, Rose and Lissa left the state, and after rolling into Seattle on a Greyhound, they decided to stay there. Rose didn't want Lissa to come with her, but Lissa wouldn't let her leave alone. They found a cheap apartment with a tenant who didn't ask for IDs, where they stayed until they were both 18, then they moved in with two college girls who needed roommates to split the rent; Lissa even started taking classes at the community college, "To get a better job someday."

For over a year, Rose had been in and out of various jobs in the Seattle area, until she came to Gina's Diner. Rose was endeared to the entire staff, and while she wasn't close friends with most of her coworkers, she could at least stand to get through the day with any one of them.

Rose pointed finger guns at Leslie as she sped past to the break room to clock in.

Once she started her shift, she felt herself fall into autopilot. The diner wasn't that busy yet, but her mind was numb as she went through the familiar routine of taking orders and listening to customers complain. Most of her interactions never strayed from the script she recycled each time she took an order.

She was sending a text to Jeremiah about their date tonight when she saw a customer being seated in her area in her peripheral vision. She stuffed her phone in her apron and walked over. Usually her customers features were all a blur, since she sees so many people everyday, but this man stood out to her. She drank in his features as she made her way to him. He was reading over the menu so she felt free to stare. He had light brown hair, longer than she was used to seeing on a man, and it was pulled back with a hair-tie. She knew this was the first time she'd seen him, because his face was unforgettable.

Even though he was sitting, she could tell he was tall. The kind of tall that, if he were standing, she'd have to crane her neck to look him in the eye.

Before she could reach his table, though, an older man with thick glasses snapped his fingers and whistled to get Rose's attention. She tensed, as she always does when a customer does this, because she can already tell he'll be difficult. She smiled apologetically at the beautiful man who was now looking at her, and made her way to the impatient senior.

She didn't have to ask him what he needed, he started his complaint the moment she stepped into earshot. "I finished my water and I haven't gotten a refill in over 15 minutes!" he accused, thrusting the glass at her. Rose knew for a fact that he was exaggerating, because she'd just made a round less than five minutes ago. But, she couldn't contradict him if she wanted her tip. "I'm sorry about that sir, I must have missed that." she took glass, which still had some ice cubes in it, and was about to get his refill when he grabbed her wrist.

"Now, sweetie, I know people have bad days, but this job isn't that hard. Just make sure you get people their water! You won't be getting a tip from me if I have to wait for water again."

Maybe it was the man's arrogance, or the fact that he touched her and called her sweetie, or threatened to take away her tip, but she'd had enough of him. She spit in his cup.

"You want water?" she slammed the cup on the table. "Here's your water."

Her heart was beating fast and everything in her told her what she was doing was wrong, and that excited her.

The man was so dumbfounded he didn't have any more condescending wisdom to offer her. She walked away, a new lightness to her step as she made her way back to the beautiful man, more full of confidence. He'd been watching the whole interaction, she noticed, which gave her pause.

"Do you do that to all your customer's?" the beautiful man asked, and she couldn't tell if he was appalled or entertained by what she just did. He had a strange accent that she couldn't place; she would have to hear him speak more. She smirked at him, "Only the ones who call me sweetie."

The man smiled, and she thought he was holding back laughter. "Noted," he said.

"Can I get you something to drink?" she asked with a huge grin on her face.

The man nodded with a smile, albeit much smaller than hers. "Coffee, please, easy on the spit."

She laughed out loud this time and nodded, putting her notepad away without jotting the order down.

"Won't you get fired for doing something like that?" the man asked curiously, and she was startled to see that there was actual concern for her on the man's face.

She shrugged. "My manager will tell the man that we absolutely don't tolerate behavior like this and I'll be let go, but I won't actually get in trouble, I think… Besides it would be worth it to get fired defending myself from a prick."

He smiled again, and nodded to where the man sat, Leslie now by him. "I guess we'll see."

Rose went counter between the kitchen and the busboys' sink to collect her thoughts. She just met him, but that small banter they shared made her want more. One of the new hostesses, Rose didn't remember her name, came over by Rose and leaned in with a knowing look. "Looks like you're going to get that guy's phone number."

Rose looked up in shock, "What do you mean?" Rose asked, following the girl's gaze to confirm that they were talking about the man.

"Well, I was about to put him in Jimmy's section, but he saw you and asked to be seated where youwould be his server." She winked and walked back to her podium at the front of the diner.

Unfortunately, that wasn't the case for Rose. The man ordered a sandwich, barely touched it, and left behind a generous tip, but no phone number. Rose felt oddly dejected that the man didn't even try to converse with her, but she soon forgot about it when her shift ended and she went on her date with Jeremiah.

The first time Rose let Jeremiah take her out, she discovered that she doesn't like him at all. She sat through their dinner and felt as though she were watching paint dry. She felt pity that he seemed to like Rose so much, and no matter what she said to him or what opinion she gave him, he would go along with it and act like she was the smartest girl in the world. She may not like him, but she did like the attention he gave her. Lissa encouraged Rose to give that "sweet boy" another chance. This time, they were going to the movies; Rose's choice, so at least she wouldn't be bored.

After the movie ended, Jeremiah asked Rose if she wanted to sit down and eat somewhere. She gave him the excuse that she had work early in the morning and should get some rest, which was true, but she felt guilty knowing that if anyone else had asked, she would've accepted their offer.

Jeremiah insisted on walking Rose to her door, and before she could put her key in the lock, Jeremiah pulled her in for a kiss. She let it happen, hoping that something would've changed. But there was no spark, no overwhelming emotion when he kissed her, and she couldn't help thinking that if she were kissing the man she'd served today, she would have to lean up more.

The beautiful man was at the diner again the next morning, sitting in her section. She couldn't stop the smile that came to her, and she immediately went for the coffee pot.

Rose went back to serving her customers after giving him a steaming cup and a wink, he remarked that she hadn't been fired yet, which made her laugh, and she spent time trying to avoid eye contact with the beautiful man while she made her rounds. She felt like she was playing a game, but she couldn't remember the rules. He didn't order when she asked, but asked for more coffee. She noticed that he didn't add any creamer, either.

After his second coffee refill, Rose chalked up the courage to ask him if he wanted to switch to decaf. The man shook his head. "I had a long night," he said simply, the accent punctuating his words.

"Where are you from?" she blurted out.

"Russia," he said. She couldn't think of a response so she just smiled sweetly and walked over to another customers table before it became more awkward. Once she'd already left the table, she thought of a million conversation starters that just didn't come to her in time.

At her fourth trip to the table, the man finally ordered food, and as she jotted down his order, she happened to glance at his shirt and noticed a golden pin, in the shape of an eye. The pin tugged at her memory, but she wasn't sure where she had seen it before. He caught her looking and studied her face, waiting to see a reaction from her.

He didn't seem upset, so she let her curiosity win over. "Cool pin. Is it from a TV show or something?" He appeared disappointed by the question. "Something like that," he said.

Rose put in his order and made rounds before picking up his food. All the while, she felt his eyes on her, watching her talk to other customers.

She placed his plate on the table and turned to go, but he shifted uncomfortably in his seat. "Can you sit with me, or will you get in trouble?" he asked. Rose's heart jumped at the notion that he wanted her company. She glanced around the Diner, noting how empty it was at the moment. She smiled down at him mischievously. "I can spare a few minutes," she replied as she eased herself into the booth across from him. He poked at his food but didn't eat it. He seemed to be gathering his thoughts, so Rose waited patiently for him to speak; she was used to boys being nervous around her.

"My name is Dimitri, by the way."

"It's nice to meet you, Dimitri."

"Do you like working here?"

"It's not that bad. Sometimes the customers-"  
"Do your co workers treat you well?"

"Yeah, they're nice enough."

"And you're doing well in Seattle? You like it here?"

Rose's smile faltered. She thought he must not speak to a lot of girls. Her excitement gave way to confusion. "Yes, it's a great city."

"Good... Do you have a boyfriend?"

"No. Well…" she drifted off, not wanting to explain her relationship with Jeremiah, especially if she hoped to leave with Dimitri's phone number. Dimitri looked at her expectantly, even hopefully, if Rose was being optimistic. "No," she repeated. "No boyfriend."

He nodded absentmindedly. Rose initially thought his awkwardness must be due to a language barrier, but his English seemed fine to her. There was something bothering him, Rose could tell, and the silence made her impatient. She wondered if she wanted his number after all. "Spit it out," she demanded, suddenly wanting to go back to work.

He looked at her, lost. His hand was resting on the table, the knuckles white.

"There's something you want to say or ask. Go ahead."

He took a deep breath and closed his eyes. "Rose," he said. It felt strange for her to hear him say her name, since she'd never told him it, though he could've read her nametag.

"I shouldn't be here," he admitted, casting his eyes to the table. If Rose wasn't imagining things, the great man looked ashamed. Rose couldn't think of anything to say; the encounter had grown too weird for her to comprehend. He pulled out his wallet and tossed a twenty dollar bill on the table. "Keep the change," he muttered and left the booth, at the same time leaving behind the stunned waitress.

That night, Rose slammed the apartment door closed as she got home. Lissa and one of their roommates, Mia, were watching TV on the couch. Lissa looked up at Rose's entrance, but Mia paid her no attention. "Long day at work?" Lissa teased, and Rose huffed and walked past the TV to get to her room. Mia sighed loudly as Rose moved by.

Rose and Mia had never gotten along that well. Rose never forgave Mia for embarrassing her at a frat party by vomiting on her at a frat party and ruining her chances of getting alone time with a boy named Jesse. Mia claimed to be too drunk to remember, so she refused to apologize. Rose would've tried to move out, but Lissa became the diplomatic barrier between the girls, making living together just bearable.

Their other roommate, Sydney, didn't like company much. She was always studying or watching movies on her laptop; usually at a library, where even though she'd be in public, no one would disturb her. Rose preferred Sydney to Mia any day.

In her room, Rose stripped off her work uniform and put on a pair of pajamas to spend the rest of her day comfortably in. After pulling her hair tie out and letting her hair fall naturally, she kneaded away the pain on her scalp, all the while cursing her job and the customers for the pain they cause her on a daily basis. She thought of Dimitri, and wondered if he would come back to try his hand at flirting again. Part of her hoped he would, and that next time he wouldn't fail so miserably again.

"What's so interesting on the wall?"

Rose jumped as Lissa walked silently into the room. "Hmm? Oh, nothing. I was staring off into space. I had a weird customer today." Rose didn't realize how badly she'd been wanting to talk about him until then.

"Weird is good," Lissa smiled. "You usually start with 'I had this asshole customer.'"

Rose found herself laughing, and for a moment her concerns seemed ridiculous to her. Dimitri was just one more interaction that she would soon forget. "Not an asshole. He was nice… and hot."

Lissa raised her eyebrows suggestively and said "Well go on!"

The girls heard Mia calling out from the living room for Lissa to get going. Lissa cringed and looked apologetically at Rose. "I promised Mia I would go study with her and meet her boyfriend, Aaron. Tell me the story later okay?"

Rose smiled tightly at Lissa as she left the room. Despite the fact that Rose knew she was Lissa's best friend, she couldn't help the jealousy whenever Lissa spent time with another girl, especially Mia. Not that she could blame her; Rose had been working all week and hadn't spent any time with Lissa.

Once she had the apartment to herself, she made a cup of hot chocolate. The weather had just started showing signs of fall this week, which excited Rose, but also made her sad. When her and Lissa lived with Ms Petrov, every autumn they would go to the Pagan Pride Festival in Chicago and get their tarot read, buy candles and stones. Rose loved walking around with all the self proclaimed witches, the smell of incense in the air along with the decay of leaves.

She found that most nights, she wanted her old life back. She could never tell Lissa this, though, because Lissa loves Portland and the friends she's made here. Rose settled into the couch, letting the ache of her muscles take priority in her mind.

Mia had left the TV on, so Rose tried to pay attention to that, but she was more tired than she thought, and now that she was sitting down, she couldn't stop herself from drifting off.

She woke to the sound of knocking. There was a new program on TV, but that didn't tell Rose much. Had she been asleep for half an hour? Three hours? She didn't know.

She rubbed the sleep out of her eyes as she made her way to the insistent knocker. When the opened the door she was shocked to see Dimitri.

"How… What…?" she couldn't put into words how confused she was.

"Can I come in?" he asked calmly.

"Uhm, no." Rose declared, her mind catching up to her as the last of her drowsiness faded.

"Please? I need to talk to you."

"How do you know where I live?" she demanded.

"I was sent by your father to find you," he said quickly, like ripping off a band-aid.

Silence hung between the two, Dimitri staring intently at Rose. Finally, she burst out laughing, slowly pushing the door closed between them. "You're insane," she said. His hand shot out and stopped the door from closing, he moved so fast Rose barely saw the motion. "You've never met your father, have you?" he asked accusingly. This made her pause, and she felt uneasy at the knowing look on his face.

"Go away," she said stubbornly, trying to push the door with both hands, but his one hand on the door prevented her from doing that.

"What do you want." she demanded, her jaw locking.

Dimitri met her glare levelly, studying her face. "To know that you're alright. Your father wants to know that you're alright."

She scoffed at him. "My father doesn't know who I am. He doesn't even know my name," she seethed, her voice dripping with venom.

"Really? Because he told me your name is Rosemarie Elisheba Hathaway."

She sucked in air, a sense of dread overcoming her. He knew her full name, which could only mean two things; he was telling the truth, or he was a stalker. She didn't use social media, so there was no way he could have found her online, unless he was seriously creeping.

Rose unknowingly loosened her hold on the door, and Dimitri pushed past her, coming into the apartment. He glanced around the room as if judging her living conditions. She didn't particularly like having him in her apartment, alone, but she wasn't afraid of him. He waited patiently while she tried to compose herself.

"Why now?" she asked in a quiet voice.

"He's always been looking out for you."

Rose shut her eyes. That's a lie, she thought. She wanted to ask about her mother, about why Dimitri hadn't mentioned her yet, but she was afraid of what the answer would be.

"Why did he send you? Why not come himself?"

When he didn't answer right away, she opened her eyes to see Dimitri growing uncomfortable. "He didn't want to bring attention to you."

"Why didn't you tell me this yesterday?"

"Yesterday my job was only to find you. After I told your father we found your location, he asked me to talk to you, find out how you've been…"

Rose narrowed her eyes at Dimitri. She wanted to trust him, because she saw no malice in his eyes, but the story was too unbelievable for her. She had too many questions, and didn't know where to start. All she knew was that she wasn't going anywhere with this man. Not that he would have trouble subduing her, she thought.

"How did he find me?"

Dimitri was the picture of calm, prepared to answer her questions. In fact, he looked proud of her for questioning him.

"Your father made arrangements when you were born so that you would always be safe, but within arm's reach. Ms Petrov, your foster mother, works for him. She looked after you for 8 years-"

"I know that," Rose snapped, her mouth gone dry. Dimitri hid his annoyance at being interrupted well, but Rose caught the twitch of his eyelids.

"Anyway," he punctuated. "Ms Petrov would give your father regular updates on you. When you were twelve, Ms Petrov told your father that you were lonely, so he arranged for an orphan to be fostered with you."

Rose shook her head in disbelief. "Lissa was sent to us because she fought too much with her last foster mother."

"She was sent to you because your father chose her," he said sternly.

"Nobody can do all of that, manipulate the system like that, move orphans around."

"Apparently they can."

"Oh shut up. I don't need your attitude."

"I'm here to help you, Rose." the tenderness in his voice caught her off guard, and she took him in. She found that she believed he was trying to help. She could see he was growing exasperated by her, and it made her oddly smug. She leaned against the back of the couch to carry her weight.

"So, are you here to drag me off to meet my father?"

"I don't work for him anymore. I finished my job, and I don't care whether you meet him or not. I'm here to tell you the truth so that there's nothing between us." There was a strange quality to his voice; something much more serious than the playful banter from the diner.

Rose's breath caught in her throat. She didn't know what to think, or say.

"So you were told to find me and you were enraptured by my beauty?" she asked mockingly, throwing her hair over her shoulder.

"Yes," he admitted plainly, "and your attitude. I want to know what kind of girl spits in a man's drink for calling her a pet name."

"You really are insane, if you think you can come in here and try to put moves on me after you hunted me down for a guy I've never met."

"He had the best intentions, Rose. He wants to make sure you're safe. Trust me, if he wanted to hurt an innocent girl I wouldn't have helped him… Look, I already told you what I know- Ms Petrov was enough protection for you, until you and your friend suddenly went missing two years ago. Then he panicked and hired me to find you."

"And you're telling me all of this… why?"

"Like I said, so there's nothing between us. So that I can ask you on a date."

"You're crazy."

"You've said that. But I'm not the one who spit in another man's cup."

"He deserved it."

They stared at each other for a while. Then they spoke at the same time.

"So why did you run away?"

"So you find people for mobsters?"

Dimitri answered first, "He's not a mobster."

Rose crossed her arms defensively, "Sounds like one to me."

"Wait until you meet him."

"I haven't decided if I want to meet him."

"You also haven't answered my question."

"And you haven't answered mine."

Right then Rose wouldn't have been surprised if Dimitri was a professional interrogator for the KGB. The intensity of his gaze made her want to squirm, it took everything in her to not move under his eyes. She knew that she could shut this down right now, and make him leave, but in all honesty that's not what she wanted.

"Well," she said in a softer voice, "You've only told me what you already know about me. The way I see it, you need to tell me about yourself. It's only fair."

He smiled down at her, and she noticed that they'd moved together, subconsciously getting closer as they spoke. "I don't play fair, Roza."

Rose met Dimitri's gaze levelly, her racing heart slowing down. She remembered the last time she was challenged by a man who frightened her. A dangerous smile crept over her lips.

"Neither do I."


	6. 5 So Much More

**Title:** So Much More

 **Author:** PrincessKooki

 **Background:** In an attempt to find her mother's killer, Rose takes to the streets. Little does she know what awaits her…

 **Format** : One-shot (for now...)

* * *

Rose's father had been telling her for months to stop looking into her mother's death. "No good would come of it", he'd said. But Rose was determined to bring her mother's murderer to justice or die trying.

Now it seemed the latter was a real possibility. After months of investigating, following leads and winding up empty handed, Rose found herself at yet another dead end. Figuratively and literally.

Rose was in the worst part of town, dressed like a street walker to not raise suspicion, when she took a wrong turn into a long dark alley.

Rose's mother, the legendary Jeanine Hathaway, was the DA. She was a badass and won most her court cases. She was well on her way winning over public opinion and running for local council when she was murdered. Rose knew it had to be because of a case she was working on.

She never talked about work at hime, but Jeanine did have a home office. All her files were in a wall safe. Rose had cracked the combination easily enough as a young girl and never told her mother. When Jeanine was murdered, Rose went straight to the safe and started combing over files and files and files of cases being investigated, crime scene photos, eye witness testimonies. From all the intel, Rose gathered her mother must have been working on a RICO case. Jeanine was trying to build a case against a local crime syndicate.

And so, Rose set out to find the culprit. She tried to contact the ADA but the spineless twit was so scared after what happened to Jeanine that he was no help at all. Instead she followed her mother's notes and started searching for informants.

It was a slow going process. Rose was a senior in high school and couldn't afford to flunk out, so she was still going to classes in the morning and handing in all her assignments.

But every night, Rose would hit the streets in search of anyone or anything that would point her in the right direction. That's how she found herself in a dark alley.

When Rose heard the footsteps behind her she felt the fear trickle down her spine. When she walked faster the footsteps behind her picked up pace as well. Rose fumbled around in her purse for the taser her father gave her. When she finally pulled it out, she noticed with a gasp the the damn thing wasn't charged!

 _Don't panic_ , Rose told herself, _you're going to be just fine,_ she tried to calm herself. Just then she saw that the light at the end of the alley, her beacon of hope, was in fact just a lamp, above a door to an abandoned warehouse and nothing more. There were nothing but shadows and that little light.

Rose's fear was almost paralyzing when she realized she had nowhere to go and the sound of boots hitting the pavement was getting closer.

 _Pull your shit together, Hathaway. You can talk yourself out of anything,_ Rose thought happy thoughts.

She turned brazenly to face her would be attacker. She hoped he was just a mugger, but highly doubted it. Not with the way she was dressed.

Even in the dark alley, she could just make out his features. He was tall and slender, yet had well defined muscle mass. His hair was light, short and curly. He didn't look much older than Rose herself. All in all, if they hadn't met in a dark alley, Rose would have thought he was cute.

She braced herself and set out to play the part she was dressed for.

"Hi there girli", the man said. "What are you doing out here all by yourself?" He eyed her up and down, licking his lips all the while.

Rose hid her disgust as best she could. He was fishing for information, no doubt wanting to make sure he wouldn't be disturbed.

Rose gave him her man eating smile. "Well sugar, I'm was on my way to see someone very special, but I got lost on the way", she pouted. She was trying to stall and talk her way out of it.

"I'm very special", the dirtbag wiggled his eyebrows at her and took another step forward.

"Well this someone will be very mad if I don't get there on time", Rose's heart was racing. "You wouldn't want to get me in trouble, would you?", she batted her eyelashes at him innocently.

When the asshat cupped her breast, Rose felt the bile rise in her throat. She took a step back and held her hand up to fend him off. Her voice went icy cold. "Trust me, this is a man you don't want to keep waiting. If I'm late because of you, not only will I pay the price, but he'll but you like a fish", she said with narrowed eyes. Rose remembered from her mother's files that there were reported cases of people actually being tortured by removing their intestines. While they were still alive.

And it was that exact threat that caught the asshole's attention. "Who did you say was waiting for you?" He tried to brush off the threat like it meant nothing to him, like he didn't believe her.

Rose was at a loss. She was up shit's creek no matter what name she gave him. Plus she was drawing a blank. In a haze of adrenalin she blurted out what was probably the only name that would save her. Or get her killed.

"Dimitri Belikov". _What the hell are you doing Rose?!_ she immediately chastised herself.

That completely stilled fuck-face's advances. He took a step back as if the mere mention of the name burned him.

"D-D-Dmitri Belikov?" he stutter.

Rose crossed her arms over her chest and nodded, feeling the small victory.

"Well then we better get you to him", said the idiot and started tugging Rose towards the door she had previously seen at the end of the alley. He pulled her close and said in her ear "If you're lying to me…" he let that hang in the air for a moment before chuckling disturbingly, "Let's just say, I'm going to have a lot of fun".

Rose swallowed hard. Her life was hanging on the whim of a man she'd never met before. All she knew about him was he was supposedly the big boss, everyone feared him and no one in law enforcement had ever seen his face. She was gambling with her life, but at least she was still alive and relatively unharmed for the time being.

They walked into what Rose knew to be an abandoned warehouse only to find that inside it wasn't abandoned at all. Just past the door stood two armed guards. They were guarding two huge double doors. The small room was only slightly less dark than the alley.

"What have you got there, Jesse?" one guard asked.

"A gift for Belikov", Jesse answered as he yanked Rose by the arm.

She didn't allow anyone to see her falter. She was no man's property.

The guards let Jesse pass. But not before frisking Rose. They of course found and confiscated her taser.

Rose shrugged. "Girl's gotta take care of herself". The guard nonchalantly informed Rose she could pick up the taser on her way out. Then turned to the keypad beside the door and unlocked it for the two.

Jesse lead Rose further and further down the rabbit hole. It seems the entrance to where ever the hell Rose was being take, was through an armory. After that, they walked by what Rose dubbed "the casino" area as there were at least 10 tables surrounded by poker playing thugs. Rose shuttered to think where she was being lead as Jesse continued to tug her up a flight of stairs to walk look like a floor of what used to be offices in the warehouse. It seemed some were converted to lounges.

Rose wound up in a large sparsely furnished room. From the doorway Rose could see a sitting area with several arm chairs and a comfy looking sofa. On the other side of the room was a large oak desk. And behind the oak desk, a large leather office chair that had it's back turned to them. A man was seated there, yelling on the phone in Russian.

Jesse hesitated by the door. Obviously entering this room uninvited was way above his pay grade. Another man, in a gray suit, approached them.

"What the fuck is this, Jesse?" the man motioned towards Rose. "Belikov warned you…"

Before the man had a chance to finish, Jess cut him off nervously, "Ivan, I found her wandering outside, she said she's here for Mr. Belikov".

Ivan eyed Rose up and down doubtfully. He grabbed Rose's arm and rather roughly pushed her onto the sofa. "Stay", he ordered her before pulling Jesse aside for a heated conversation in whispered tones. The man behind the desk still hadn't finished yelling at the phone.

Rose was trying to plot an escape. She was too high up to jump out the window, she couldn't go back out through the warehouse full of armed goons, and her only weapon was confiscated. She was stuck for now. If she were a believer, she'd have been praying to the gods to save her.

Soon enough Ivan and Jesse approached Rose.

Rose caught the end of their conversation. "The only reason you're still alive is because our mama's are sisters", Ivan snickered to Jesse, who had the good sense to look ashamed. Ivan left Jesse with Rose and walked over to the desk.

The man, the boss Rose figured, had finished his conversation. With his back still turned, he and Ivan were in hushed discussion. Rose assumed it was either about her or Jesse. Either way it wasn't good.

When the man finally turned around, it was like time stood still. Rose had never imagined beauty like his could exist. For a split second, she couldn't care less that she was in all likelihood about to face her untimely demise, so long as she got to stare at his gorgeous face for a little while longer.

As the man approached her in the seating area, all Rose could hear was the drumming of her own heartbeat in her ears. She didn't realize anyone was talking to her until the man spoke. His velvety accented voice fit his god-like features perfectly. His long hair only added to the allure.

"What?" Rose asked out of her daze.

"I said", he only looked marginally annoyed, "Are you alright? Did Jesse hurt you?"

Rose shook her head. "No".

"See!" Jesse exclaimed, "I told you I didn't do anything to her!"

It was Ivan who answered, "Shut up, Jesse. You're on thin ice as it is. If you weren't going to hurt her, why did you bring her here?"

"She said she was here to meet Mr. Belikov", Jesse bumbled. "She said her name is Rose Hathaway and that if I didn't bring her here you'd gut me like a fish".

"Clever girl", Dimitri murmured, mostly to himself.

From the bits and pieces Rose was able to learn, she got the feeling that she wasn't the first girl Jesse tried to get freaky with. She got the impression that Ivan and Mr. Belikov did not approve. That's why she cleared her throat, getting their attention, and said, "Jesse was kind enough to make it very clear that if I was not a guest of Mr. Belikov he was going to have a lot of fun with me". Rose shivered at he memory.

Rose locked eyes with Belikov. She wasn't sure what he saw in her, but she trusted him to save her life. "What would you like me to do with him, Roza?" He asked Rose indulgently.

Rose didn't let anyone see how surprised she was. Belikov was going along with her story for some reason, which she was grateful for. But she was baffled by the question. "What do you mean?"

"I'm letting you decide how we will punish Jesse. He's had a second and a third chance. Personally, I'd like to put him in the ground. But he's Ivan's cousin, and you know how Ivan and I are", Belikov conversed with Rose as if they were old mates.

Rose nodded playing along. She knew from her research that supposedly the head of the syndicate, aka Dimitri Belikov, and his right hand, aka Ivan Zeklos, were like brothers.

"I think the punishment you'll choose for young Mr. Zeklos", Dimitri continued, "will be far less final than the punishment I have in store for him".

"Don't be too sure about that", Rose replied.

Dimitri smiled in answer. He was even more beautiful, if that were possible.

"Remind me, does this place have a basement?" Rose asked. She already knew the answer. While it was unknown where Belikov's headquarters where, it was believed that there was a facility on premise, perfect for beating information out of someone, or beating someone into submission, or just for beating in general, where no one can hear you scream.

The answer came as though it was obvious. "Of course".

"Well then", Rose straighten up, crossed her legs, revealing even more skin in her too-short skirt, "I say you have him taken downstairs and beaten to a pulp. Make sure you break his hand for touching me without permission" Rose shuddered. "On a more creative note, I suggest giving paper cuts all up and down his tiny penis. Maybe the pain will teach him some manners".

Ivan laughed, Dimitri chuckled and Jesse hissed bitch under his breath.

"I rather like that idea", Dimitri complimented. "So should you, Jesse. She just saved your life. Ivan, deal with this", he motion to Jesse. "I have more pressing matters to handle".

Ivan nodded once and escorted Jesse out. Jesse had the good sense not to put up a fight.

As soon as the door clicked shut, Dimitri turned on Rose. He extended his hand to her, "Allow me to properly introduce myself. Dimitri Belikov".

The man just saved her from a horrible fate, the least she could do was introduce herself and shake his hand. "Rose Hathaway".

"Alright, out of sheer curiosity, I played along with your ruse. What are you really doing here, Ms. Hathaway?"

"Jesse caught me in the alley. I figured if he thought _you_ were waiting for me, he'd let me go", Rose explained.

"I figured as much. Clever. It was a gamble, but clever non the less. But what are you doing in the alley in the first place?" Dimitri leaned towards the table with the decanter and poured two glasses of whiskey.

"I was looking for a John", Rose answered automatically. It was her rehearsed answer, it went with her outfit. "I got lost".

Dimitri nodded. "Now tell me the truth, Roza". He handed Rose a glass.

Rose was quiet, debating how to answer. She downed the liquid courage in her glass and went with the brave truth. "I'm investigating a murder".

"Oh? Whose?"

Rose bit her lip. She saw Dimitri's eyes flash to her mouth and immediately she felt her blood rush to her cheeks. And her core. When their eyes met again, Rose felt as though Dimitri were holding her in place with his gaze. "My mother was murdered in your neighborhood a few months ago".

"Ah, yes. DA Jeanine Hathaway", Dimitri stated.

Rose wondered how he knew. Then again he was Dimitri Belikov. Rose assumed there wasn't much he didn't know.

"How is the investigation going?" Dimitri appeared genuine.

Rose shrugged. It wasn't going well at all.

"I've looked into her death as well", Dimitri stated, leaving Rose shocked.

"Why?" Rose asked breathlessly.

"Your mother's death caused quite a bit of trouble for me. She and I had an agreement". Dimitri sipped his whiskey.

"You're lying!" Rose refused to believe her mother would have anything to do with a crime syndicate other than to prosecute it.

Dimitri finished off his whiskey before pouring himself and Rose another. "Despite what you might have heard about me or what you think of me, I am the lesser of two evils. Your mother knew this. We worked together to take down a common enemy".

"The Dashkov's", Rose gasped.

"Yes", Dimitri nodded. "The man who murdered you mother has been dealt with. It took some time, but I found him and let's just say he won't ever be bothering anyone again".

Rose shook her head. "How do I know your not lying to me? How can I trust anything you say?" Tears were streaking her face.

"You don't. But I am telling the truth".

Rose should have been relieved and happy. Her mother's killer paid the ultimate price. But instead she was angry. Furious, even. _She_ was supposed to get justice for her mother. And Dimitri Belikov took that from her. Rose gripped her whiskey glass so hard, Dimitri was afraid it might break in her hand.

"I can see this news has been anticlimactic for you, Rose". Dimitri took the glass from her hand.

"I wanted justice for my mother", Rose said with gritted teeth.

"You got justice for your mother. You wanted revenge". Dimitri glared at her. "And from the look on your face, you wanted savage revenge".

"I wanted him to beg for his life", Rose was fuming.

"Roza, I assure you, he begged for his life".

"Tell me", Rose pleaded.

Dimitri glanced at his watch. "Not now".

"Why not?!" Rose huffed.

"Because if we don't leave soon, my men will get suspicious". Dimitri answered Rose's confused look, "You came to me dressed like that. The men know my habits. This office is for business only. You've been her too long".

"I'll leave then", Rose stated.

"You misunderstand. You and I need to leave together. Back to my place. My driver is waiting outside".

Rose panicked. "I don't want to go anywhere with you".

"You don't have a choice. You walked into he lions den. I'm afraid I'm your only way out".

"Then why can't you just take me home?"

"My driver will know you live, and that you didn't stay with me. You'd be surprised how quickly rumors can start here and how quickly you'll be in danger", Dimitri already put his coat on.

"My father will be looking for me", it was Rose's hail Mary.

Dimitri smirked, calling her bluff. "No he won't. He's already passed out drunk. And in the event that he remembers he's a father, a message has been sent to him that you're staying the night at a friend's".

Dimitri lent Rose his hand. She stared at his hand shakily.

"No harm will come to you, Roza. You have my word".

It was only the warmth of his voice and softness in his eyes that convince Rose. She took his hand. Dimitri wrapped his arm around Rose's waist, securing her possessively to him. "If they think you're mine, they won't try anything", he whispered in her ear. She shivered again, this time, it wasn't fear.

In the back of the limo, Far from prying eyes and ears, Rose asked, "Why can't I just go home after we get to your place?"

"For this to be believable, you'll need to stay for at least a couple of hours and by then you'll be better off staying till morning, rather than wondering around in the streets in the middle of the night". Dimitri glanced at her. "It's too dangerous, I won't allow it".

"Fine", Rose conceded, wondering what the hell he could possible do with her for a couple of hours. That sparked a new line of thought for Rose. One that made her blush just thinking it. Unconsciously she crossed her legs.

"You knew the second I stepped through your doors that I wouldn't be going home tonight", Rose stated.

Dimitri didn't even try to deny it, "Yes".

They arrived at Dimitri's penthouse. It was so much more light and airy than Rose expected. Most of the furniture was lightly colored. Even the hardwood floors were whitewashed. The walls were floor to ceiling window and viewed the entire city. The kitchen was rustic and seemed out of place for the high-rise, but fit the apartment and Dimitri so well.

"Would you like something to eat?" Dimitri offered.

Rose shook her head.

"How about a hot chocolate?"

Rose smiled.

"Have a seat, I'll be right back". Dimitri turned towards what Rose assumed was the bedrooms. "Make yourself at home", he called back to her.

Rose didn't need to be told twice. She immediately removed the ridiculous high heeled boots she was wearing, along with her coat. Rose looked around for a bathroom. She figured one of the doors by the entrance was her best bet. She found a coat closet first, so she stashed her coat and boots there.

The next door she tried was the bathroom. She relieved herself and washed the makeup from her face. She let her hair down and ran a brush she found through it. Rose took of the itchy fishnet stalkings she was wearing and removed the giant hoop earrings. She gathered all her thing in her purse. Feeling much more like herself, When Rose returned to the living room she found two piping hot mugs on the coffee table.

"Comrade?" She called out.

Dimitri chuckled at the new nickname. "In here", he called from the kitchen. He approached the living room with a small tray.

Dimitri had changed out of his charcoal suit. He was wearing gray sweatpants and a snug fitting white teeshirt. Rose could see every muscle in his body ripple as he walked towards her.

 _You will not drool_ , Rose chastised herself.

Only now, that she wasn't in her heels, Rose saw how tall Dimitri was. He had a good foot on her.

"This is black bread", Dimitri gestured to the plate after they were seated on the couch.

He took a slice, lathered it with butter and handed it to Rose.

"Mmmmhhhh", Rose moaned. "This is amazing!" She took another bite. "How have I lived my entire life without this in it?!" After wolfing down a slice, Dimitri placed another slice in her hand with a smile. "Where did you buy this?", Rose asked.

"I bake it".

Rose moaned with each bite she took. She caught Dimitri staring at her. "What?"

"You're beautiful", he stated simply.

Rose took a sip of her hot chocolate to hide her embarrassment. Guys had been telling her for years she was hotness incarnate, but they rarely called her beautiful. It made her feel warm and fuzzy. This wasn't the kind of thing she expected to feel around a mob boss. "How did you become a mob boss?" The question was out there before she knew it. "I'm sorry, I don't mean to pry, it's just that I don't get a mob boss vibe from you". While she'd known Dimitri for all of 2 hours, being a mob boss seemed out of character for him.

"I inherited the business from my father. I didn't want this when I was younger. But I didn't have a choice in the matter. When I said I was the lesser evil I meant it. If my father's lieutenant were to run the business…" Dimitri shuttered. "Let's just say, the streets of this city would run red with blood".

Rose accept the answer and didn't pry any further. She finished her hot chocolate, and gathered the mugs and tray to the kitchen.

"You don't have to do that", Dimitri tried to stop her.

"It's the least I can do, comrade", Rose already had the water running. "Beside there are hardly any dishes to do". She handed him a clean mug, "Here,I'll wash, you dry". Dimitri grabbed a dish towel and started working.

They washed the dishes in silence, standing shoulder to shoulder. Or they would have been if it weren't for the height difference. A heat crackled between them. Rose wondered if it was just her.

Dishes done, they turned towards each other.

"Thank you", Dimitri said, his voice husky, his eyes burning with desire.

Rose could feel the heat radiate off him. When Dimitri cupped her cheek, she melted to him. Rose placed her hands on his chest, feeling the steady rhythm of his heart. Warmth spread through her fingertips as she splayed them over his pecs.

Rose rising on her tip toes towards Dimitri was all the confirmation he needed before he leaned in to meet her half way. When their lips met it lit a fire in both them. Without a conscious decision, they wound up wrapped around each other. Dimitri lifted Rose to the counter top, she wrapped her legs around his waist and ran her nails through his hair, grazing his scalp. He moaned.

Dimitri had a firm grip on her ass, while his other hand pressed her body deliciously against to his.

Their tongues danced delectably. When Rose pulled back for air, Dimitri's lips never left her. He fisted her hair and tilted her head back, exposing her neck to him. He trailed open mouth kisses along her jaw line, to her ear and down her neck to her pulse point .

Rose let her hands explore his body, from his shoulder blades down his back. Dimitri was all hard muscles, yet at the same time he felt soft to the touch. When she reached the hem of his shirt and started tugging at it, Dimitri got the hint and discarded the offending material. Rose watch hungrily as his shirt rose and exposed more and more of his abs and chest. His sweats hung dangerously low on his hips.

Rose shyly placed her hand on his bare chest, caressing his skin. She pulled him back into the cradle of her legs and ran her lips across his collar bone. She worked her mouth up his neck until she was finally kissing his lips again.

Rose sucked his bottom lip into her mouth and bit gently. When Dimitri moaned, she slipped her tongue back in his mouth.

Dimitri let his hands wander on Rose's body. With her skirt riding all the way up and her fishnets long gone, her legs were completely exposed and bare. He gripped her legs, reveling in how smooth and flawless her skin was. Everywhere he touched set Rose's skin ablaze.

Dimitri's manhood had been rubbing Rose's core from the minute they started making out. Rose knew her panties were soaked through. She wondered if Dimitri could feel it as well.

Now it was Dimitri's turn to pull back. "We should go to bed", he declared.

"Yes, please", Rose answered huskily.

Dimitri pulled further back, gently prying Rose's hands from around his neck. "I meant, we should go to sleep. It's late and I don't want you to do anything you'll regret in the morning".

"Is that a nice way of saying you don't want me?" Rose asked trying to hide her hurt.

"Roza, I do want you," that caused Rose to look back into his pleading eyes, "more than you know. Which is why we're going to bed. To sleep. Nothing more".

Rose failed to see the logic. "You're not making any sense".

"You are the bravest woman I have ever met. And by far the most beautiful. You amaze and intrigue me. How could I not want you?"

"I feel a but coming".

Dimitri smiled. "But you're also young. I don't want to be something you look back at and regret."

Rose was quiet. She didn't quite know how to respond. Dimitri was trying to be considerate and caring. That only made her want to shag him all the more.

"Stay with me tonight. In my bed", Dimitri offered hopeful.

Rose nodded and let Dimitri take her to bed. He gave her a tee shirt to sleep in, which she was grateful for. The tee shirt felt so soft against her skin and it smelled like him.

They laid in bed facing one another. "I can't think of anything better to wake up to", Dimitri whispered. Rose smiled and hid her face in the pillow.

"Have dinner with me tomorrow night, Roza", It wasn't really a question.

"Like a date?"

"Yes".

Rose was silent for a while. "Dimitri, you're a mob boss. How can I date a mob boss. My mother was the DA, for crying out loud".

"I'm so much more than a mob boss".

"I know that". Rose took Dimitri's hand in hers and kissed his palm, making his hurt dissipate immediately. "So, where are we going tomorrow night?" she asked.

Dimitri's smile could have lit up the room. "I'll think about it and let you know. I want it to be special".

In the gargantuan bed, in the darkness, they found each other. Rose clung to him as if his arms were the safest place on earth. Dimitri held on to her as though she was his light in the dark, as if she could save his soul. They fell asleep knowing this was the beginning of something new and special, something that was so much more.


	7. 6 The Fortune

**Title:** The Fortune

 **Author:** overworkedandunderpaid

 **Background:** Rose Mazur is the first mate aboard the pirate ship Liberty Fortune. Looking to lie low and pick up legitimate cargo, Rose invites a naïve, unassuming stranger aboard and gets more than she bargained for.

 **Format:** One-shot.

* * *

 _Upon the page, gold, embossed  
'Count not the gain but what was lost'  
The sailor's born of oceans tossed  
A captain's made by oceans crossed._

~Dennis Locorriere

The cargo hold of the Liberty Revenge had seen better days. Burlap sacks that had been neatly stacked when the ship left port four days prior were now sprawled haphazardly across the floor, their contents scattered and rolling treacherously across the uneven boards.

Rose almost passed out when the smell hit her – it was unlike anything she'd ever encountered, and that was saying a lot for a woman of her profession. Rotting flesh smelled better than the unbearably sweet, suffocating scent that clogged the air. It was like being trapped inside a perfume bottle.

Carefully picking her way across the hold, she stared miserably at the sodden piles of crushed cinnamon that had turned to sludge on the timber floor and at the strange and stringy spice that reminded her of pumpkin husks. Water sloshed through the broken hull, encouraging the dangerous spinning and sliding of whole nutmeg seeds across the polished wood.

Rose cursed as she stepped on one of the rolling seeds, her ankle twisting in her heeled boot as she caught herself on a half tumbled pile of sacks.

"Mother fucker," she hissed, resting against the sacks and clutching at her foot. If she hadn't been so exhausted from the last few days, she might have yelled, punched and kicked in frustration.

It had taken her weeks to barter with the island merchants; weeks she spent coddling and reassuring them, earning their trust. It had been an uphill battle every step of the way, but Rose had done it. And she'd done it single-handedly. This cargo would have been her victory, and hers alone.

But here she was, sitting the stinking ruins of her meticulous plans, all thanks to the most dangerous thing a legitimate cargo could face on the open ocean – pirates.

A simple case of mistaken identity had led to the downfall of Rose Mazur's empire right as she'd gotten it off the ground.

"Are you going to sit down here and wallow in self-pity all day?"

Rose glanced over her shoulder and stiffened at the sight of her Captain. The older woman was standing at the entrance to the hold, her arms crossed over her chest and a disapproving expression plastered on her face.

"I just wanted to see how bad it was," Rose answered morosely.

"It's bad," Alberta confirmed stiffly. Rose got the impression she wasn't just talking about the state of the cargo hold. She glanced miserably around the room.

"This was the most valuable cargo we've ever had, and they destroyed it."

"That's the least of our problems," Alberta reminded her sternly.

"I know," Rose replied wearily, releasing her ankle.

It had been pretty clear who Alberta blamed for this situation, but in the last few days they had been too busy getting as far away from the Spice Islands as possible to bother arguing about it. Now, it seemed, Alberta was ready to have that discussion.

"How are we going to offload the rest of this stuff?" Rose deflected. She slapped the dry sacks with one hand.

Alberta raised her eyebrows, but took the bait. "We're going to cut our losses and throw it overboard."

"What?" Rose exclaimed, springing to her feet. "What do you mean 'throw it overboard'? This stuff is worth… well, it's worth a lot," she finished lamely. "And we've been through hell to get it this far."

"I'm not taking any chances, Rose." Alberta's expression was perfectly impassive. She'd been expecting this reaction from her hot headed protégé. "We throw it, we head to the nearest port, and we pick up some legitimate cargo."

"This was legitimate cargo," Rose grumbled.

" _This_ was you going behind my back because you thought you'd had a clever idea," Alberta snapped. "Next time you want to pull a stunt like this, do it with your own ship."

"This is my ship," Rose retorted, gesturing emphatically at the cargo hold. "I bought it with my own money. I can do what I like with it."

Alberta bristled. "You are under my command, Mazur," she said in a dangerously quiet voice. "You bought this sloop and concocted this halfwit idea without my permission. Another Captain would call that mutiny."

"Another Captain might have seen it for the opportunity it was." Rose tried to keep her voice steady. Despite her close relationship with Alberta, she knew she was on thin ice. "If you would just let me captain the Liberty Revenge, I could help you with the crew," she continued, ignoring Alberta's increasingly tight expression. "You could have a fleet."

"If I'd wanted a fleet, I would have purchased another ship myself. I would have promoted you from First Mate _myself_."

Tense silence filled the air between them. "You're never going to give me my own ship, are you?" Rose demanded quietly.

Alberta's expression hardened, but her tight lips held back whatever words rested on her tongue. "Clean this up," she said after a moment.  
Rose grunted her acquiescence, unwilling to prompt her Captain into continuing.

Albert turned on her heel and ducked out of the cargo hold, pausing at the ladder. "Oh, and get that body out of here. He's starting to smell."

Rose glanced around the hold in surprise, her eyes locking on the grey, bloated body of the spice merchant. "Goddammit."

* * *

The Liberty Fortune was a much larger ship than it's sloop counterpart – an ex-military brigantine that boasted a crew of nearly eighty, the large boat was difficult to miss in a harbour.

There were certain things about the Fortune that caught the eye of experienced sailors – the patchy timber balustrade, the somewhat bedraggled crew and the lack of flag flapping from the stern. All of those things would have made any half-way decent harbour master think twice before allowing such a ship to make port.

Pernosian port authorities were renowned for their willingness to overlook unmarked vessels, for the right price, so it was to Pernosia that the Liberty Fortune sailed.

Rose leaned against the splintered balustrade of the ship and stared glumly at the cityscape stretching out before her in the morning light. Not only had she cleaned the entire cargo hold of pungent spices and corpses, but then Alberta had insisted on abandoning the Liberty Revenge in a sheltered harbour a few miles up the coast.

Sailing away from her newly purchased, badly damaged sloop had been heartbreaking, and even Alberta's promise that they would eventually return for the boat did nothing to sweeten the bitter resentment she felt stirring in her chest.

A part of her knew for sure that it was the last she'd ever see of the Revenge.

Adding insult to injury, Alberta had saddled Rose with babysitting the Fortune while the rest of the crew enjoyed their shore leave.

Rose watched as the crew meandered across the pier, separating into small groups as they left to revel in the cities most debauched corners. She sighed wistfully, yearning for her own little bit of down time. It had been months since she'd done anything other than work – even going ashore on the islands had been more of a business trip. It had been a long time since she'd had a bit of amorous activity in her life. At least four months since the last time she'd gotten lost in the eyes of a handsome, hopeless, foolish stranger…

Her gaze drifted aimlessly across the pier, thoughts lost in a whirlwind of fantasy.  
Then she saw him.  
It was as though she'd summoned him with her thoughts alone.

He was tall – so tall she wondered how it had taken so long for her to notice him. And handsome in a way that she hadn't seen in a long time. He was turning on his heel in the middle of the pier, sailors, merchants and harbour authorities rushing past him with a careful side step and some choice words.

Leaning forward eagerly, Rose drank him in.

Oh, if she had a type, he was it. Tall, dark and handsome, with a lost expression to boot.

Grinning from ear to ear, she watched as his gaze darted anxiously between the crisp slip of parchment in his hand and the anchored ships. He seemed oblivious to everything else – from the men moving hastily around him, to the child filching his coin purse right from his waist.

It didn't take long before his concerned gaze was on the Liberty Fortune, his brow furrowed in bewilderment, and his dark hair falling into his eyes. The elastic band at the nape of his neck tried and failed to control the unruly strands, and he pushed them away from his face distractedly. The careless sweep of his hand left some of his dark locks pointing stiffly in all directions.

Rose snorted with laughter, and waved a hand to catch his eye. If she'd ever had a failing, it would have been her insatiable curiosity. She simply had to know what he was doing here.

The stranger made his way over to the ship, adjusting the canvas bag slung over his shoulder as he raised a hand to return Rose's wave.

"Good morning," he called up to her, a small friendly smile softening his stern features.

Rose smiled down at him, appraising him eagerly. At a closer distance, he was even more striking. Soulful dark eyes set in a tanned, chiseled face, broad shoulders and a well-muscled physique that couldn't be disguised underneath his loose linen shirt. She had been denied shore leave, but it seemed the joys of the city had come to her.

"Good morning, sailor," she purred cheekily, leaning over the balustrade. "Need some help?"

"Actually, yes," the stranger answered, his smile unfaltering. Most sensible men around the harbour knew enough about business to know that there were very few reputable ships that employed female crew, but he seemed unconcerned. "I'm looking for a ship – the Brune Esquire?"

"Can't say it's familiar," Rose mused, her gaze lingering on his chest long enough for him to raise his eyebrows at her open admiration. "Have you checked with the harbour master?" she asked eventually, dragging her eyes up to his. "He should be able to tell you where she's docked."

The stranger shook his head, strands of dark hair dancing defiantly around his face. "I already checked. He said they left this morning, but they were supposed to wait for me..." he trailed off, casting another hopeful look around the harbour.

"If the harbour master says they're gone, then they're either gone or paying to avoid you," she informed him with a shrug. "Either way, you're not getting on the Brune Esquire today, sailor."

The stranger sighed heavily and scratched his chin absentmindedly. As hopeful as he'd been, this clearly wasn't unexpected news.

"Where are you headed?" Rose asked, eager to keep the conversation rolling.

"South to Jusmara. Rofac harbour."

She grinned. "What a coincidence."

He glanced up at her hopefully, and Rose found herself further charmed by his gorgeous eyes and dazzling optimistic smile. "That's where you're headed?"

"Maybe," she replied casually, running her hands over the knotted timber. "Depends on what it's worth to you."

She watched him fumble for his coin purse with eager amusement. He was easy on the eyes and compellingly naive enough that she might let him on board for free. Perhaps it was cruel, to entertain herself with this poor man's misfortune, but in her defence there was very little else to do.

"I think I've been robbed," the stranger admitted sheepishly, lifting his empty palms to the ship. "Could I pay you later?"

Rose laughed incredulously. "I think my Captain would kill me!" she grinned down at him gleefully, a mischievous glean in her eyes. "How about this? We set sail tomorrow morning. Meet me here with say... twenty suls?"

His eyes widened fractionally and he crossed his arms defiantly. "Twenty suls? That's robbery."

Rose shrugged.

"I didn't even pay ten for passage on the Brune, and it was in much better shape," he continued, his warm eyes on her.

"Don't go insulting a woman's ship," Rose cautioned. "I'll have you know that the Liberty Fortune is one of the best vessels on the open sea."

The stranger opened his mouth but seemed to think better of saying whatever comment rested on his tongue. Instead, he bartered. "Five suls," he countered.

"It would be a disservice to my Captain to take less than twelve."

"Seven."

"I'll take ten and your name, Sailor."

"Eight, and I'll tell you my whole story," he offered, that small smile tugging at his lips again.

Rose made a face. "Who has the time?" She appraised him once again, taking in his dark fly-away hair and handsomely chiseled face. A slow smile spread across her face as she leaned forward, a calculating look in her eye. "How about nine suls, your name... and a kiss?"

The stranger shook his head indulgently, and looked up at her. "That's still more than I paid for the Brune. No sailor asked me for a kiss over there."

Rose shrugged, delighted with his sly answer. "Too bad you missed it then."

He laughed and looked at her with sparkling eyes. "You've got a deal."

"Good. I hope you can come up with the money." Back to business, she eyed him sceptically. She also hoped he'd get the money onto the ship without being robbed again.

"It won't be a problem," he replied easily. Suspicious, Rose appraised his clothing. There was nothing about them that suggested he had a wealth of money and nothing that hinted at his reasons for sailing to another country. Maybe she shouldn't have been so quick to dismiss his offer of a story.

"So what about that name?" she asked. "As a down payment, of course."

"Of course," he said amicably, inclining his head. "My name's Dimitri."

"Mazur. I'm the first mate."

Dimitri seemed surprised, but didn't mention the oddity of a female first mate. "It's been lovely dealing with you, Mazur." The knowing look he gave her was charmingly playful. "Would you like to collect any more of your payment now?"

With a grin and a shrug, Rose pushed herself from the balustrade. Flirting with a handsome stranger was one thing, but he was playing her game exceedingly well. Something about those gorgeous eyes and handsome face might have won her over, if she let it. "No," she answered thoughtfully. "Not now. But I'll let you know."

Throwing a winning smile over her shoulder, she dismissed him with a wave of her hand.

* * *

"You invited a stranger onto my ship?"

Alberta's hands were on her hips, a trademark sign of irritation. Her question hung in the silence, members of the crew whispering apologies as they eased past their Captain who stood at the top of the gangway.

"What were my last words to you before I got off this ship, Mazur?"

"'Don't do anything stupid'," Rose recited. "But I didn't do anything stupid. You said we were looking for legitimate jobs."

"Yes, legitimate, like the cargo that we're busting a gut loading right now, not some man you saw bumbling around the docks. Who is he? Why is he leaving Pernosia? How do you know he's not some wanted criminal?" Alberta's voice was becoming shrill.

Rose arched an eyebrow. "Are we really in a position to judge?"

Alberta's expression darkened. "Don't make me angry, Rosemarie." Rose flinched at the use of her full name. "You know that we have to lay low. If we get tracked down by Pernosian authorities then Artigo isn't going to have any trouble finding us."

"He's not a criminal," Rose promised. "I'm not sure what he is, but he wasn't in a hurry to leave and he didn't care if he was seen."

Alberta studied her for a moment.

"Trust me, Alberta," Rose beseeched. "You know I wouldn't bring any harm to this ship or her crew."

"Alright," Alberta relented begrudgingly. "I trust you. But if this goes pear-shaped, it's on you. I'm serious," she continued, watching the grin spread on Rose's face. "If I have to throw you overboard for bringing Artigo down on our heads, I will."

"Nothing serious is going to happen, Alberta," Rose reassured her. "It's just a legitimate person buying passage on a legitimate cargo ship luckily heading in the same direction."

"Yes, luckily," Alberta grumbled, adjusting the weight of the pistol at her hip. "What would you have done if we didn't get cargo to deliver to Jusmara?"

Rose shrugged and put an arm around her Captain's shoulders. "Robbed him and thrown him overboard?" she suggested slyly.

Alberta barely held back the smile tempting her lips. "Of course. You're lucky most of your plans work out, Mazur. Just promise that at least _one_ time you make plans, you'll tell me about them first? I'd like to know what it feels like to be fully in charge of my crew."

"I don't make promises I can't keep."

* * *

Rose found having Dimitri on board the Fortune was quite a pleasant experience. The man was quiet and agreeable, which wasn't her usual go-to type, but she found it endearing nonetheless. In fact, she found him so endearing, she had almost forgotten that he was a fully grown man, and not a pet.

He had spent the first week of the trip blissfully unaware that he was aboard a pirate ship, which the crew had found rather entertaining. After being regaled with the story of the spice incident and being informed that a very dangerous pirate lord was on their tail, he'd almost had a breakdown. He had spent the next week trying to calm his nerves by losing a considerable amount of money to rigged card games.

He was pleasant to chat to, and even more pleasant to look at, although he seemed too nervous to take Rose up on her admiring glances. It was probably for the best, given the strict rules Alberta enforced about fraternizing on the ship.

Overall, Rose found it quite the shame that they would have to say their goodbyes.

At the end of two weeks, Rofac harbor loomed before them like a mountain – Rose had never seen a city like it. The docks were the busiest Rose had ever seen in a decade at sea, and she was itching to clamber overboard and explore. From her spot on the Fortune, she could glimpse a fish market across the harbour, and all around her were mountains that walled in the great city. She couldn't even spot the open ocean from here – the fjord had been long and winding, surrounded by giant cliff faces and beautiful waterfalls the likes of which she had never seen.

"I suppose you'll want shore leave?" Alberta asked resignedly.

Rose turned and offered her an excited grin. "Have you seen this place?" she asked excitedly. "I can't wait to get out there."

"Fine," the Captain sighed. "You can go. But remember we leave tomorrow at dawn."

"I will," Rose promised distractedly. She had already changed into her shore leave skirt and blouse, a pistol sitting visibly at her waist and her coin purse tucked neatly into the cleavage her corset provided.

"Stay safe," Alberta instructed, worrying her bottom lip. "We don't know this place or these people."

"I'm not the one you should be worried about," Rose answered, inclining her head to where Dimitri was sitting on deck, pulling on his boots.

If anything had become apparent in their time together, it was that Dimitri – beautiful, naixe Dimitri – couldn't fight to save his life.

"You shouldn't worry about him either," Alberta warned. "He's not your problem, Mazur. Get back here by dawn."

Rose gave a distracted wave of her hand to acknowledge her Captain's point before making her way over to Dimitri.

"Good morning, Sailor," she greeted cheerily.

Dimitri looked up, squinting through the midday sun. "Good morning, Mazur," he returned amicably. There was a hard edge to his smile that Rose hadn't encountered before, and it briefly caused her hesitation.

"Do you know anything about this town?" she asked awkwardly, thrown by his guarded behaviour.

"No," he answered shortly. "It's my first time here." After a pause, he offered her another forced smile, and continued as though he knew he'd been impolite. "Have you ever been here before?"

"No. Did you have any plans for your first day?"

"A few," he conceded secretively.

She grinned broadly. "Well, I'll do you a favour and tag along. Someone needs to look after you."

He stood, that strange smile still fixed in place. "I do know how to look after myself," he assured her. "You don't need to waste your time with me."

"Oh, I know it will be a little bit of hassle," Rose said dramatically. "But I would just feel awful, sending you out into the big bad world with no weapons and no one to look out for you."

"Really, Mazur, I'll be fine. I promise."

"I insist."

"Mazur, please..."

"I'm coming with you," she said harshly, her dark eyes flashing. She gave a haughty flick of her hair that made her thick tresses jump around her face. She hadn't meant to be so direct, but she also hadn't expected Dimitri to so adamantly refuse her company. Sure, he'd been bashful about her mischievous advances, but she was under the impression that they'd been getting along.

Dimitri sighed heavily and shouldered his canvas bag. "Okay," he mumbled. "Let's get on with it then."

They walked down the gangway, Rose pausing to send a mock salute back up to Alberta. The walk through the docks was filled with a new and awkward tension, Rose trying to puzzle through the otherwise friendly Dimitri's standoffish behaviour.

"I'm not that insufferable, am I?" she asked jokingly as they walked.

"No," Dimitri assured hurriedly. His normally open expression was powerfully impassive. "I find your company... pleasant."

"What's the problem, then?" she demanded tartly.

"I didn't really plan for company," he admitted.

An uneasy silence fell between them as they made their way across the pier. It was unusual for Rose to feel out of depth, but she struggled to find something conversational. "So where are we headed?" she finally managed.

There was no hesitation as Dimitri answered. "To the outer west marketplace."

Rose shot surprised look over her shoulder at her companion. "Specific. For someone who doesn't know the town."

"Are you always so suspicious?" he asked, a half amused ghost of a smile gracing his handsome face. Two weeks at sea had left him with rough whiskers that could almost be called a beard.

"Occupational requirement," she replied.

The outer west marketplace turned out to be a tricky thing to find, and even Dimitri who seemed to know his way around quite well for a foreigner had to stop and ask directions more than once. The city guard seemed helpful, but eyed the two strangers suspiciously. They seemed especially concerned with Rose's pistol.

"Doesn't look like they have a lot of weapons in this town," Rose commented, eyeing up the people moving around her. The crowd had thickened and Rose hoped it meant that they were nearing the marketplace.

"I think they're worried you're Pernosian." Dimtri was picking his way through the crowd with ease, and Rose trailed behind him bumping to every second person and mumbling her apologies.

"You seem tense," she said at last, barely brushing past an older gentleman that gave her a kindly nod and smile. "Are you okay?"

"I'm fine. If you're bored, you're more than welcome to leave."

"Please, this place is heaven."

They broke through the crowd at last to find themselves in a central market hub, the smell of sizzling meat and livestock manure mingling unpleasantly in the air. The sounds of salesmen calling to passers-by had been drowned out in the throng of people they had waded through, but now rang in Rose's ears clearly.

Dimitri seemed to sag with relief.

"Relax, Sailor," Rose said with a laugh, shaking him by the shoulder. "We made it!"

There was a jovial air in the marketplace – something she'd always revelled in as a child. A beautiful woman in the most ridiculously large skirts Rose had ever seen glided past, and she stumbled against the stranger beside her as she moved out of the way, muttering her apologies.

"After watching you jump around that ship, you were the last person I expected to be clumsy," Dimitri remarked, watching her with laughing eyes.

"Clumsy?" Rose asked in mock outrage. She couldn't help the smug smile blooming on her lips. "Does this look clumsy to you?" She quickly waved a bejewelled brooch in Dimitri's face before vanishing it once again down her sleeve.

Dimitri's expression stiffened, and his smile disappeared. "Are you pick-pocketing these people?" he whispered, wide-eyed.

Rose shrugged. "Only the ones that have enough to spare."

"How do you – but that's..." Dimitri looked flustered, running a hand through his thick dark hair. "Mazur, you can't just rob people."

"I'm a pirate," she replied with a shrug. "It's what we do."

"I thought you said it was about more than that?" he hissed, referencing the carefully childproofed explanation Rose had given when Dimitri had learned of their profession.

Another shrug. "Mostly."

Wringing his hands, Dimitri turned away. "What if you get caught?"

Rose slipped her arm into his and nodded congenially at a salesman yelling in their direction. "I never get caught," she said breezily. She paused and reconsidered. "Well, I was caught once."

"I can't afford to go to prison," he groaned.

"Just relax," she cooed, patting his arm gently. "Nobody is going to prison."

"Do you not take anything seriously?" he asked, allowing Rose to lead them to a stall.

Rose didn't grace his question with an answer. Until today, she hadn't gotten the impression that he took much seriously either. This new range of behaviour was quite bewildering. She eyed up the trinkets on display, feeling the eyes of the salesman watching her intently.

"Please don't try to steal something," Dimitri begged quietly.

"I'm not stupid," she retorted, her tone sharper than she intended.

Rose bartered quickly with the merchant, selling one of her stolen trinkets for much less than she thought it was worth. She probably could have gotten a better deal, but distracted as she was by Dimitri's startling personality change, she couldn't focus on the trade.

Had she misjudged his character so substantially? Where was the pleasant, friendly, innocent fool she'd first seen in Pernosia?

With a slide side eye at his profile, she assessed her companion once again. Her line of work didn't often allow for trust, and she realised now that's exactly what she'd done – trusted him.

Unsettled, she mumbled her thanks to the merchant, rudely declining his offer to look at the goods scattered across his table.

"No," she insisted abruptly, interrupting a spiel about the value of his wares. "My friend and I have to leave –"

She had reached out to touch Dimitri's shoulder and found the space next to her empty. Startled, she spun on her heel and scanned the crowd. No sign of him.

Surely he wouldn't have just wandered off without her? Despite his hostile behaviour, an anxious feeling settled in her stomach as she glanced at the cloudy sky and remembered Alberta's warning. Dimitri didn't know this place any better than she did. What if something happened to him?

She squinted into the crowd again, hoping he was still somewhere nearby. How far could he have gotten during her exchange with the merchant?

Luck was on her side – Rose caught a glimpse of Dimitri as he chatted with a stranger, the two of them moving away from the marketplace towards an alley. She watched them with increasing alarm. Of _course_ Dimitri would be foolish enough to follow some stranger into an alley.

Pushing her way through the crowd, Rose mumbled apologies as she stepped on feet and shoved people out of her path. Her heart was racing and her stomach rolled sickeningly. She knew Dimitri wasn't her responsibility, but she couldn't help feeling as though his welfare rested on her shoulders.

"Shouldn't have invited that idiot on board," she grumbled, making good speed through the thickening crowd. As soon as she set foot in the alleyway, the noise of the marketplace diminished. The smell of fresh urine and decomposing food filled her nostrils and she winced. City smells weren't a thing she missed.

She picked her way across the uneven cobblestones carefully, stepping around the crater-like dips caused by the stone wearing away. Her eyes searched the dim alley and her ears were pricked for any sound, but there was silence and no sign of Dimitri.

Beginning to wonder if she'd seen Dimitri disappear into this alley at all, Rose pulled her pistol and walked around the corner.

She'd been taught to fight by pirates, but her natural speed and violent instinct had saved her on more than one occasion. It all happened very quickly – a strange man stepping out of the darkness threateningly, a gunshot, a simple cry; "No!"

The stranger threw his body at Rose – had she missed the shot? – his hand fixing with surprisingly strength around her throat. His face was lined with age, but his blue eyes were steely and determined.

She clawed at his hand, dropping the pistol. Cursing herself for not bringing her cutlass, she brought her knee to his groin violently. The stranger hissed, his grip loosening. Taking advantage of his pain, she pried his fingers from her throat and gasped in a breath of air. One hand curled into a fist that she aimed at his face.

"Stop!" A hand caught her fist deftly, shoving her back against the alley wall with astounding force. Dimitri settled himself between Rose and the stranger, hands out and open to discourage further violence.

The stranger stilled, wheezing heavily into the damp air. His bright eyes were fixed unblinkingly on Rose, his mouth a determined line.

"Move, Dimitri," he ordered. Rose got the impression that he was a man used to being obeyed. He had the same flippant confidence in his instruction as Alberta, the same hardness in his eyes.

Dimitri was clearly not going to follow that order, however, and the stranger made a disgruntled sound in the back of his throat.

Nobody moved for a moment, the alley filling with the sounds of strangled breathing. The stranger seemed to be relaxing, his guarded eyes moving from Dimitri to Rose. He bent down and scooped up the dropped pistol.

"Hey, that's mine!" Rose protested in a hoarse voice. She took a step forward and was met with Dimitri's open palm on her sternum, pushing her back against the wall. The proficiency and strength in that simple gesture surprised her once again.

"What the hell, Dimitri!" she rasped angrily. She could still feel the man's fingers around her throat.

"Who is she?" the stranger demanded, inspecting the pistol as though it would give him some insight into Rose's identity. "Why is she here?"

"This is Rose Mazur, she's the first mate of the ship that brought me here," Dimitri said calmly, his hands still in the air. "She's here by mistake, but she'll leave now and she won't come back." He shot a pointed look over his shoulder.

"Oh yeah, that's likely," Rose retorted hotly, one hand at her throat, the other fishing surreptitiously behind her back for the dagger she usually kept concealed.

"She's not going anywhere," the stranger said at the same time. He was eyeing Rose angrily. "You should have known better, Dimitri. I can't let her go."

"But you're going to," Dimitri said confidently. His self-assurance and the eerie calm in his voice made her skin prickle. He was definitely not the same man she'd thought she'd known.

The stranger shook his head. "You're wrong about this one, Dimitri."

"No, I'm not."

"We should kill her and be done with it."

"That's not an option," Dimitri said soothingly. "We're just going to send her back to her ship."

The stranger hesitated, his eyes darting between the two of them. "I can't let her go," he said adamantly. He seemed to be wavering.

"Then for now she can come with us," Dimitri suggested. "How about we all go somewhere nice and warm to have a chat?" The pleasant invitation in his voice seeped into her bones, relaxing her aggressive stance. Rose shook her head violently, reminding herself that _someone_ in this little threesome was being played – and she got the distinct impression it was her.

"What the fuck is going on?" she interrupted angrily, throwing Dimitri's hand away from her chest.

"Please, Rose, trust me," Dimitri said softly, turning to face her. His silky voice wrapped around her name like it was tattooed on his soul, and his warm eyes watched her encouragingly.

"Not bloody likely," she spat, grasping the hilt of her dagger firmly. "What the hell is going on? Who is he? Who are you?"

"This is Lord Alto, the Pernosian Ambassador here in Jusmara. Like I said, this might be a conversation better had with indoors," he suggested calmly.

Rose wavered. It was difficult to look into those eyes and not see the innocent chump she'd scooped up off the pier.

"Fine," she said haughtily. "But I _don't_ trust you."

Dimitri's answering smile had a dark, calculating edge to it that should have made her nervous. The kind of smile she should have taken as a cue to plunge her dagger into his heart and run for it.

Instead she admired the way it darkened his usually optimistic eyes and brought a rough, dangerous quality to that gorgeous face.

"You shouldn't," he conceded silkily.

Suddenly everything about Dimitri that was pet-like and adorable shifted into a much more sinister focus. She shouldn't have trusted him, she realised that. She'd been played, and the longer she stood there watching him, the more she realised how dangerous his disarming innocence had been.

A renewed shot of adrenalin had her heart pounding against her ribcage, but for all the wrong reasons. She should have been ready for a fight, but the longer she looked at him, the more she noticed how well Dimitri wore dangerous.

A sultry smile came unbidden to her lips as she appraised him. Naïve Dimitri had been fun to flirt with – his bashful avoidance of her advances had been endearing, in a childish sort of way.

There was nothing childish or bashful about the smouldering look of appreciation he gave her in return.

Alto cleared his throat loudly. "Sorry to interrupt," he said caustically, "but I was under the impression we were moving this indoors? Also that the two of you were aware of my presence?" His raised eyebrows and crossed arms conveyed his displeasure.

"Sorry Alto," Dimitri replied, his heated gaze lingering on Rose. His roguish smile held all of the repressed intentions that he implied with his next words. "It's been a very long two weeks."


	8. 7 Guardian Wanted

**Title** : Guardian Wanted

 **Author** : Llaria6

 **Background** : When Rose is denied her request to be Lissa's guardian, she accepts a job that will put her on a collision course with Dimitri - the man she was always destined to meet. Set during BP-SB - but _NOT_ the way you remember it!

 **Format:** One-shot. I may eventually develop this into a longer-format story - keep an eye on my profile page for updates.

* * *

 _Dear Guardian Hathaway,_

 _The latest round of guardian allocations has now been finalised. I regret to inform you that you have not been assigned a moroi charge at this time. Please visit the guardian website and click on the 'employment' link to view the full range of non-guarding positions currently available, should you wish to apply._

 _Regards,_

 _Cptn. Hans Croft_

* * *

Rose scowled at the letter on her bed for the hundredth time. She'd complained. She'd argued. She'd bargained. She'd locked herself in her room at court for three days in protest, but she still wasn't Lissa's guardian. One week, ten pizzas, eighteen doughnuts and a broken window later, she was finally ready to face the truth. Eddie was Princess Vasilisa's sanctioned guardian, which meant Rose needed to find a job.

The only trouble was, there weren't any jobs available that Rose was willing to do. Who the hell wanted to sit at a desk in Guardian HQ pushing papers all day? _Ick._ Or stand for ten hours at the front gates of court waiting for a car to arrive so you could push a button and watch the boom gate go up? _Bleh._ Even after a week of trawling the job site, the best option she could find was a dorm matron's position at St. Vladimir's, and there was no way Kirova was ever going to give her a job. She knew she'd hit rock bottom when Janine called to say that Lord Szelsky was willing to offer Rose a six month unpaid traineeship, working side by side with her mother. _Hell no!_ She'd rather be a blood whore.

And that is why Rose was wide awake in bed in the middle of the vampiric night, scrolling through classified ads on her phone.

For three hours she worked her way through the 'general labour' and 'security' ads on Craigslist. They were practically all the same. _Exciting Opportunity for Driven Individual..._ _Lucrative Earning Potential... Nude and Topless Waiters/Waitresses._ She was seriously considering that last option - if only to annoy Janine. She took a screen-shot of the ad and kept searching. Another thirty minutes later she was ready to give up and embrace her new career as a skimpy server when something on the 'temp jobs' page caught her eye.

 _Guardian wanted (promised or unpromised) for unique, challenging role. Female preferred. Text a selfie of molnija to receive further details._

Intriguing. Who would be advertising for a guardian on Craigslist? Maybe it was a moroi from a non-royal family who didn't qualify for a guardian in the official allocations process? It was a pretty good way to screen for a dhampir with experience living in the human world.

Or maybe it was a scam? The advertiser was probably an internet-savvy strigoi who'd figured out a neat way of luring dhampir victims directly to his front door. Like home delivery... Maybe not such a good idea to hit reply.

But what other option did she have? It was either topless hostessing or the mystery job - possibly resulting in her being drained dry by the world's laziest strigoi. She chewed her bottom lip for a few seconds then moved her pony tail out of the way and snapped a photo of her molnija.

* * *

 _Nice hair._

Wow. That's not creepy at all! Rose thought, punching in a quick reply.

 _Hi. If you've got a job for me can you tell me what it is? If you're just a random perv then thanks. I'm flattered. But please lose my number._

Pause.

 _Sorry. I was just trying to break the ice. It's a real job. A one-off contract position. Immediate start. Pay negotiable depending on experience. Can you tell me how you got your molnija?_

Rose frowned. It was nearly a year since Spokane but it still wasn't easy thinking about it.

 _When I was a novice a few of my friends went hunting for strigoi. I tried to stop them but we were captured. There was a fight and I took out two of the strigoi that were holding us prisoner._

Pause.

 _How did you get a stake if you were a novice?_

They thought she was lying.

 _I didn't use a stake. I beheaded them._

Longer pause.

 _Is this Rose Hathaway?_

Shit! How did this person know who she was? Was it actually someone from St. Vlad's playing a prank on her? Abort! Abort!

 _Please don't freak out. I'm not a crazy stalker or anything. I heard about what you did from my brother. Everybody at St. Basil's was talking about it. They think you're a god over here!_

St. Basil's? The job was in Russia?

 _Thanks for the chat but whatever job you're offering I can't take it. I live in the U.S._

Pause.

 _That doesn't matter. The contract is all expenses paid. Have you got a passport?_

Holy moly. A second ago this was just another dead end, but now her whole future was blown wide open. An all expenses paid trip to Russia? Was this even real?

 _Yes I've got a passport._

Rose waited nervously for the reply, still not entirely convinced it wasn't a hoax.

 _Great. Give me half an hour to book your flights and I will email your ticket through. You don't need to bring anything - just some warm clothes and your stakes. The job is yours if you want it. Do you want it?_

She glanced around her tiny dorm room, littered with empty pizza boxes and piles of dirty laundry. There was nothing for her here. Lissa was the only incentive Rose could think of to remain at court, but the bond had practically disappeared since Dr Olendzki prescribed the latest course of meds so it wasn't necessary for her to stay. Between Liss studying at Lehigh and Tatiana grooming her to become the next queen, they'd hardly get the chance to see one another anyway. It wasn't like Lissa would be alone. She had Eddie now - and Christian. And Adrian? He'd dated plenty of girls before he met Rose and he would probably date plenty more after she was gone. Adrian would be fine.

Rose took a deep breath and typed her reply, pressing send before she could change her mind.

 _Yes I want it._

Short pause.

 _Excellent! Send through your contact details and I'll be in touch soon._ _My name's Vika by the way._

Rose sent through the rest of her personal details then flopped back on the pillow, slightly numb with shock. She had a job! She was going to Russia - soon - maybe tomorrow. She was going to... Oh crap. Her eyes sprang open. She had no idea what the job actually was!

* * *

Thirty-six hours later Rose found herself disembarking from a plane at the Novosibirsk Tolmachevo Airport, six thousand miles from home. This was it - her first real job as a guardian! Now she just had to find her ride.

'Guardian Hathaway?' the woman waiting for her in the arrivals lounge was a dhampir - about the same age as Rose but a little taller - and even though she wasn't dressed in uniform she had all the mannerisms of a guardian.

'Zdrastvuyte, Vika,' Rose had been practicing the greeting all the way from her stop-over in Moscow, but her pronunciation was still horrible.

The Russian's serious expression faltered then cracked, her lips tweaking up in amusement. 'How about we stick to English - if that's alright with you?'

'Thank God for that!' Rose grinned, following her new acquaintance out of the airport to a black SUV in the carpark. 'So are you my employer or will I be working with a moroi charge?'

'A bit of both,' Vika answered cryptically. 'You'll have a chance to ask questions soon. The place we're staying is a few hours' drive away. Why don't you sleep while we're on the road then I can fill you in on the job details when we meet the others.'

'Others?' Rose's heartrate accelerated a fraction. It was just dawning on her that she was in a country where she couldn't speak the language, getting into a car with a dhampir she met two days ago on a questionable website, on her way to meet a bunch of strangers to do a job she knew nothing about. This probably wasn't the smartest decision she'd ever made.

'Don't worry. They're good people,' Vika glanced across at her from the driver's seat and handed her a brown paper bag. 'Here. Eat these if you're hungry, then have a sleep. I'll wake you up when we get there.'

A stranger-danger alarm went off in Rose's head as she accepted the bag, but her eyes lit up when she found it was filled with something that looked a lot like sugar-coated doughnut balls. It only took one bite and Rose had decided that moving to Russia on a whim was a good idea after all.

* * *

'Rise and shine. We're here.'

Blinking awake, Rose saw that they had pulled up outside a large, ultra-modern house - its wrought iron security gate gliding silently closed behind them.

'It's warded too,' Vika explained as they got out of the car. 'Lord Zeklos takes his security very seriously.'

Zeklos? Why would a moroi royal need to advertise online for a guardian? Something didn't feel right.

'Come on! Ivan is eager to meet you,' the Russian girl urged, but it was the deep, clear voice coming from the front doorway that captured Rose's attention.

'Indeed I am, Guardian Hathaway.'

Ivan Zeklos was a beautiful man. Not handsome. Beautiful. Light brown hair, blue-grey eyes, cheekbones like arrows and lips made for kissing. If he'd smiled, Rose was certain she would have been blinded by the dazzle, but he didn't smile. He only nodded in greeting then beckoned the women inside, leading the way into a huge open-plan living space where a further two people were awaiting them.

 _The others_ , Rose thought as she entered the room, sizing up the pair - a middle-aged female moroi seated in a leather armchair by the marble coffee table, and an older dhampir male who was standing behind her, arms folded across his barrely chest. As soon as the man spotted the newcomers, he repositioned his body to shield the moroi - clearly he was her guardian.

'It's alright, Mark,' the woman stood gracefully and stepped out from behind his protective stance. 'Her aura is dark but she doesn't mean to hurt us.'

Aura... a spirit user! Rose was immediately on guard. She knew better than most what spirit users were capable of, and how that power could affect them. This sweet-looking moroi lady was the most dangerous person in the room.

'Relax, dear,' the older woman leant in to kiss her on both cheeks, grave but welcoming. 'My name is Okasna. I see there are some matters we should discuss together when this is all over, but right now Ivan's business is more pressing. Come. Sit down,' she gestured to the armchair next to hers.

Rose didn't feel any more at ease but she conceded to sit, alert to the movements of everybody else in the room as Vika and Ivan took their places on the sofa opposite her; Mark electing to remain standing behind Oksana's chair - silent and watchful. When everyone was settled, Lord Zeklos leaned forward and fixed his guest with a probing gaze.

'I assume you heard about the strigoi attack on St. Basil's Academy last March?'

She nodded grimly. 'Our teachers at St. Vladimir's tried to hush up all the details, but my mother told me what happened. As soon as the moroi council received word of the attack in Russia, they sent fifty guardians from court to reinforce the school guard at St. Vlad's. They did a sweep of the area and discovered a strigoi nest in a cave system only a few miles from the ward lines. There was a battle. Our side had the element of surprise, but several lives were lost,' she was quiet for a moment, thinking of Yuri and Celeste - guardians she'd known since she was a child, suddenly gone. 'It was bad, but not as bad as it would have been if we didn't have the advance warning. I heard St. Basil's lost over sixty teachers and students.'

'Sixty-eight,' Vika corrected.

Rose finally saw the truth. 'You were there, weren't you,' she studied the girl closely. 'That's what this is all about. You lost someone you care for. They got turned. You're planning to go after them.'

Vika looked away to hide the tears that were forming in her eyes.

'We both lost someone,' Ivan explained quietly. 'Dimitri Belikov - my guardian, Vika's brother.'

Rose had never heard the name before, but the hairs prickled on the back of her neck and an unknown fear squirmed in the pit of her stomach.

'It was the last day of term before the Easter break,' the young lord continued. 'Dimitri and I were at St. Basil's to drive Vika home for the holidays when the strigoi attacked. It was chaos. Guardians, teachers, students, parents running in every direction, fighting and dying all around us. We found Vika with a group of other novices and guardians; trying to slow down the stream of strigoi that were pouring in through a break in the wards. She didn't want to leave her friends but Dimitri forced her to come with us - cutting down a path of strigoi to get us safely to the exit. We were nearly at the car when another wave attacked. Dimitri yelled for Vika to get me out of there, and then the monsters were on top of us. He held back three of them single-handedly - just long enough for us to make it into the car - but he was already wounded and tiring quickly. My best friend went down fighting while I ran away like a coward.'

The stillness in the room was only broken by the shift of Vika's hand sliding across the sofa to brush against Ivan's. A gesture of shared grief, and shared guilt.

'We found out later that the tide of the battle turned when a few moroi staff joined in the fighting, using fire magic to distract the strigoi while the guardians and novices finished them off. That was the worst part for me. Fire is my specialization. I could have been helping Dimitri all along.'

'We didn't know that then,' Vika reprimand him sternly, then turned her attention to Rose. 'With so many missing after the attack, we thought the moroi council would mount a search party, but Queen Tatiana sent a royal order expressly forbidding any attempts at rescue or retrieval. That's when I dropped out of school and Ivan took me on as his private guardian. We've been preparing to go after Dimitri for four months. Finding you was the final step before we can put our plan into action.'

No wonder they'd advertised for a guardian on Craigslist instead of going through the proper channels. This mission was illegal. Possibly even treasonous. Not that that bothered Rose exactly - breaking the rules was pretty normal for her - but she needed to be certain this 'plan' was sound. She wasn't keen for her first mission as a promised guardian to be a suicide mission.

'Okay... So I get _why_ you're doing what you're doing, but how is this going to work?' Rose directed the question to Ivan. 'Are you asking me to break into a strigoi nest and kill Dimitri by myself, or are we doing this as a group?' she glanced around the circle dubiously. Vika might be an asset in a fight, but the others? A dhampir well past his prime, a royal with limited experience using offensive magic, and a spirit user who could lose her shit at any moment. They might manage to kill the strigoi that used to be Vika's brother, but there was no way they were all getting out of this unscathed.

'Kill Dimitri?' Oksana tilted her head as though Rose had just said something absurd. 'No, dear. I can see why you might be mistaken, but our mission isn't to _kill_ him. We're going to _save_ him. We're going to turn him back.'

Rosemarie Hathaway wasn't an idiot. Everybody knew it was impossible to restore a strigoi to its original state. These people were crazy. Insane. Delusional.

'I know you don't believe it yet,' the older woman pressed on, calm and determined, 'but I have proof it is possible.'

'What proof?' Rose's voice was hard. She wasn't going to fall for any of their bullshit. Once a strigoi, always a strigoi. Fact.

'Me.' Mark had been silent until now, but he stepped forwards, coming around to stand beside Oksana's chair and weaving his fingers through hers. 'Six years ago, my wife and I were attacked by two strigoi while visiting relatives in Novosibirsk. I killed one of them but I couldn't fight off the other one. I was strigoi for just over a year. Oksana brought me back - using spirit.'

Rose felt her cheeks flood with heat and she gripped the arms of her chair tightly. These people had just taken one of her core beliefs about the world and turned it upside-down and inside-out, and then jumped on it a few times. _Not possible!_ her mind was screaming. _But if it is?_ another part whispered.

'How?' she managed to croak out the question.

Oksana nodded to Mark and he moved away from the group, returning promptly with a small wooden case and setting it down on the coffee table in front of Rose. Inside was a charmed silver stake nestled upon black velvet; beautiful and deadly.

* * *

If Rose was feeling overwhelmed before, her mind was absolutely reeling by the time Oksana was done explaining the restorative effects of spirit. Lissa and Adrian had healing abilities, but this was _way_ beyond anything they'd ever dreamed possible.

She wasn't sure she'd truly believe it was possible to restore a strigoi until she'd seen it with her own eyes, but - according to Vika - they would all be getting that opportunity soon enough. The plans were already in place. In less than twenty-four hours she'd be face to face with Dimitri Belikov - for better or for worse.

'So if Oksana is the one that has to stake Dimitri, what do the rest of us need to do?' Rose asked, trying to nail down the details so they had a strategy with the highest chance of success.

'One of our contacts in Novosibirsk has sighted Dimitri frequenting a human nightclub near the river,' Ivan was scribbling the scenario down on a notepad like they were planning out an offensive play for a football match. 'The plan is to lure him into one of these alleys near the club. I will cover the exit and keep Dimitri distracted with a bit of this,' he flicked his wrist in demonstration, a stream of flame dancing above his index finger.

'From a _distance_ ,' Vika chided like an old maid. 'I might not have a promise mark, but there is no way I'm going to let you put your royal neck in danger - not even to save my brother.'

Ivan rolled his eyes. He had always been the one who called the shots when Dimitri was his guardian, but Vika was surprisingly bossy for a girl who hadn't even graduated from school yet. Not that Ivan really minded her taking charge - he found it kind of hot, actually.

'Mark's job is to protect Oksana against close range attacks,' Vika continued, 'and I will be targeting Dimitri's arms and shoulders so he can't defend himself when the stake comes out. I've been practicing my aerial kicks to get some extra height but if I need to get in closer, I'll climb him.'

'And me?' Rose wasn't sure what was left to do, but judging by the look on Vika's face, it probably wasn't good.

The Russian girl glanced down guiltily for a fraction of a second then stared straight into Rose's questioning gaze. 'You're the bait.'

Rose sucked in a slow breath as Ivan drew a little stick-figure in a dress walking from the back door of the nightclub and down a narrow street, being stalked by a much bigger stick-man who eventually trapped her in one of the adjacent alleyways.

'Fantastic,' she deadpanned. 'This is exactly what I hoped I'd be doing when I answered your ad.'

Nobody laughed, but when she looked around again the mood in the room was different. It wasn't like everyone was going to jump up and have a group hug, but there was something new in each of their expressions that wasn't there an hour ago. It was hope.

* * *

The five of them remained together for another hour or so refining 'the plan', and afterwards Ivan brought out a bottle of vodka and a set of shot glasses to seal their alliance.

'To friends - old and new,' he announced, nodding to Rose before downing his first shot.

Everybody else followed suit, and Rose knocked back her drink bravely, scrunching up her face as the sour, icy liquid set her throat on fire. Her reward was a brief but magnificent smile from Ivan - the first hint of the carefree young moroi he used to be when Dimitri was still alive - and Rose beamed right back at him, enjoying the comforting warmth that was beginning to spread through her chest.

When the second round was poured, it was Rose's turn to make the toast. 'To breaking the law on two continents!' she declared, actually winning herself a chuckle from Mark.

The warm feeling was now tendrilling out into her arms and legs, and Rose sat in a contented bubble; half-listening as Oksana shared a story about Vika's family back in Baia - always referring to Dimitri as though he was still among the living and not the dead.

As Ivan charged their glasses for a third time, Rose noted curiously that his left hand had found Vika's again (though whether it was out of comfort or romantic intimacy she couldn't be certain).

'To Dimitri,' Vika's tone set a strange ache in Rose's chest, and even though she'd never heard of the man until tonight she desperately wished she could have met him - before any of this had happened.

The evening wound up fairly quickly after that. Oksana and Mark were the first to retire to their room, and Rose was glad when Vika offered to show her to her quarters. It had been a crazy forty-eight hours, and she needed time to rest and think.

'Is there anything else you need before I go?' Vika asked when her guest was settled into her room.

Rose sat on the end of the bed, pausing half-way through unpacking her toothbrush and pyjamas. 'Oksana mentioned something earlier - about your grandmother. Is Yeva really a...?'

'A Vrăjitoare? Yes. You'd probably call her a witch in America, but she's more like a... a _wise woman_ , I guess. She's been around a long time. She knows things other people don't. Sometimes she knows things before they happen.'

'Yeva can read the future?' Rose looked doubtful. She'd just come to grips with the possibility that spirit could restore strigoi back to their original state, and now Vika wanted her to believe in clairvoyant witches too?

'Well, I can't say that for sure,' Vika arched an eyebrow, 'but if the visions _aren't_ true, then I've witnessed a lot of freaky co-incidences in my time. Take right now for example. When Yeva taught Oksana how to use spirit to bring Mark back, she said that one day Oksana would need to return the favour. Here we are, five years later, going out to save my brother in the same way - just as Yeva predicted. It's up to you whether you believe it or not.'

That was too much for Rose's tired, vodka-addled brain, and she flopped back onto the mattress with her hands covering her face.

Taking that as her signal to leave, Vika was nearly out the door when another question stopped her in her tracks.

'What was he like?'

Vika turned slowly and leant her weight against the doorframe, a wistful smile on her lips. 'Dimitri was perfect. Strong, brave, smart, gentle. Quiet most of the time, but so funny when he was relaxing with friends. I couldn't have wished for a better brother. Why do you ask?'

Rose pulled herself up to a seated position and hugged her knees, trying to think of a way to say what was on her mind without sounding completely insensitive. 'I've never thought much about my own death, but I suppose I always assumed I'd be killed in battle, protecting my best friend Lissa - not fighting to save somebody I haven't even met before,' she glanced up at the girl in the doorway, hoping the words were coming out right. 'I know the risks of this mission and I'm willing to do whatever it takes to save Dimitri, but I guess... I just wanted to know if... if he's worth dying for?'

Their eyes met and held.

'He's worth it,' Vika answered softly, then she left the other dhampir to her own thoughts.

Too tired to bother with a shower, Rose was dragging her pyjamas on when her cell phone buzzed. She nearly ignored it - telling herself that whoever it was could wait till morning - but when she opened the message just to double check it wasn't from Lissa, she was very glad she did. It was a photo of a gorgeous man in his early twenties, his arm thrown lazily over the shoulders of a slightly younger Vika. She was grinning up at her big brother and he was looking directly into the camera; lips turned up at the corners, shoulder-length hair perfectly framing a strong, masculine jawline, his chocolate gaze warm and relaxed. 'Hi Dimitri,' Rose whispered to the photo, 'I have a feeling Vika was right about you.'

She crawled across the bed to lie back against her pillows and was still studying the picture when another message came through. She opened it eagerly and her face nearly split from smiling so hard. Sixteen year old Dimitri was lying on a couch, the book he'd been reading lowered to show the camera what could only be the work of an evil sister. His hair was tied up in pig tails, there were two dark circles of rouge on his cheeks and a smattering of drawn-on freckles completed the transformation. Dimitri's long-suffering expression said he wasn't impressed with his make-over, but would put up with just about anything if it made his favourite sister happy. Rose thought he looked adorable.

After half a minute of silent, body-shaking laughter, she flicked back to the first photo and her mood sobered again. 'See you tomorrow, comrade,' she traced his face with her eyes one last time and fell asleep with her phone next to her heart.

* * *

'I look like a blood whore.'

Rose tugged at the hemline of the spangly black dress, trying to stop it from riding even further up her thighs as she sat sandwiched between Ivan and Vika in the back of their SUV. When she'd first put the dress on she was secretly proud of the way it showed off her assets, but now she was about to go into a nightclub filled with drunk, horny, sweaty humans - and at least one strigoi - the fuck me heels, cherry red lipstick and smoky eyeshadow seemed like a really stupid idea.

'That's the look we are going for,' Vika grimaced in apology.

'Are you ready for this?' Ivan asked carefully.

Hell no! Rose thought. 'Yes,' she said aloud, stifling a moan of protest and pleasure as the Zeklos lord pushed her hair back and sank his fangs into her neck.

He barely punctured the skin, but that was still enough. Rose's heart-rate skyrocketed, heat flooded through her body and - to her embarrassment - pooled between her legs, and she clutched weakly at Ivan's shirt as her eyes glazed over with that familiar soul-exploding bliss of a moroi bite.

It wasn't her first time. She'd allowed Lissa to feed off her (out of necessity) when they ran away to Portland. They hadn't planned on going back to The Academy but then Prince Victor Daskov passed away from the terminal illness he'd been battling with for years, and Lissa insisted that they return to pay their respects. The arrangement only lasted a few weeks. Rose told herself it wasn't the same as being a blood whore junkie, but going from one bite every couple of days to nothing - cold turkey - the withdrawals were a bitch.

And there was that one time with Adrian. It was the night Rose passed her guardian trials with flying colours, and her boyfriend decided they should celebrate by getting very, _very_ drunk. They never talked about it afterwards. Rose wondered if Adrian even remembered that it happened, or if he was just too embarrassed to talk about it.

'Sorry,' Ivan wiped his mouth hurriedly, (though it was unclear whether his apology was to Rose for biting her, or to Vika for having to witness the illicit act). 'It has to look real or he's not going to buy it. If Dimitri thinks you're a guardian he'll know it's a trap and we'll lose the element of surprise.'

'That's okay,' Rose blinked woozily, her hand still groping at the beautiful man's chest. 'I can't wait to tell my mom about this later. She'll totally flip.'

Vika sighed and pulled the other girl around to face her. 'Concentrate, Rose. Remember. Buy a drink at the bar first, then try to get Dimitri's attention on the dancefloor. We'll be out the back when you're ready.'

Ivan's bite was still singing through her veins but Rose forced herself to focus on the dhampir's final instructions.

'I've hidden a tracker in your bra so we'll know where you are at all times. Just... don't start taking your clothes off or we won't be able to find you if something goes wrong.'

A salacious grin spread over Guardian Hathaway's face. 'Don't worry. I'm a professional,' she slurred, casting her eyes down to her chest as she rearranged her breasts to sit higher in the confines of their lycra cage. 'Drink. Dancefloor. Lure the strigoi into an alley. Got it. How do I look?'

Vika squeezed her arm in encouragement. 'You look gorgeous, Rose. Just focus on the mission, and don't get yourself into trouble. Now let's go and get my brother back.'

* * *

The club was everything Rose had expected. Dark. Smoky. Throbbing music. Barely enough space to move without some random guy's hand 'accidentally' touching your ass. Something about the dingy surroundings brought out Rose's guardian instincts and by the time she reached the bar she was more alert than she had been only minutes ago in the car.

'I'll have that one,' she pointed to a glass of something pink and bubbly on the drinks menu, unable to read the Cyrillic letters written underneath, then turned quickly at the warm press of a human body against her back.

'Let me get that for you, baby,' a tall, fit-looking guy in his late twenties leaned over the bar to pay for the drink before Rose could fumble for her purse, taking the opportunity to sneak a look down the front of her dress while he reached for his change. 'American? I can always tell,' he congratulated himself, resting his hand possessively on her lower back.

If she wasn't here on a job, Rose would have elbowed him in the balls. 'How did you know?' she fluttered her eyelashes at him. 'Because I didn't order a vodka?'

The guy smirked, dropping his face to her ear. 'Hey, it's a little crowded here. Why don't we both finish our drinks then I'll show you how we dance in Siberia.' He ground his hips suggestively against hers.

Fuck off, jerk. 'That sounds great,' she giggled, mirroring his movement to distract him while she made a careful visual sweep of the club. A feeling of nausea was building in her stomach, and it wasn't just because of this handsy slime-bag and his pathetic pick up lines. _He_ was here. But where?

The guy was oblivious. 'Drink up, honey. I can see a spot on the dancefloor with our names on it.'

Rose downed her drink then followed him into the seething mass of bodies. She was already high on moroi venom. One glass of alcohol wasn't going to do much damage after that, and with her dhampir metabolism the effects would wear off in no time. And besides, her orders were to catch Dimitri's attention, so that was exactly what she planned to do.

Impatient hands squeezed her hips as Mr Sleazy got to work, whispering dirty words in her ear while he showed her ass exactly how guys danced in Siberia. If this was a moroi club back home and she'd had a few more drinks, Rose might have been turned on by all the attention, but while her body appeared to be having the time of its life, her eyes continued to scan the shadows at along the edges of the dance floor. She couldn't kick the feeling that she was being watched, but wherever the strigoi was hiding, he wasn't taking the bait. Time to turn up the heat.

Lifting her arms to pulse in time to the music, Rose felt one of Mr Sleazy's hands creep up her waist and along her ribcage, playing with the fullness at the side of her breast, while the other hand had her jammed firmly against his hips. She put on a good show - moaning in approval and flicking her hair aside so his eager mouth could make contact with the bare skin on her neck.

And that's when she saw him.

The strigoi was big. Really big. And hot. He was dancing with some other woman - a blonde supermodel-type who was grinding her ass against him like she wanted him to fuck her right there on the dancefloor - but his eyes weren't on his partner. They were trained on the only dhampir in the room.

Rose's breath hitched in revulsion under Dimitri's crimson gaze but a stab of desire shocked right to her core as the strigoi began to mirror the movements of the man behind her; cupping his partner's breast in one hand and holding her hips to his.

Mr Sleazy's lips were wandering over Rose's neck by now, but it was Dimitri's hair she felt tickling at her bare shoulder as she watched him nibble his way up the human woman's throat. Rose moaned involuntarily - never breaking eye-contact with the gorgeous, terrifying creature across the room - and the guy she was dancing with took that as permission to slip a hand down the top of her dress.

The strigoi cocked an eyebrow, mimicking the action and sinking his teeth gently into the blonde woman's neck. An invitation.

Guardian Hatahway froze. This game had officially gone too far. Right now, some stranger's hand was groping around in her bra and she was fantasizing what it would be like if that hand belonged to an undead monster of the night... what it would be like to let him sink his fangs into her throat while he slid her dress up around her hips and pumped into her, slowly and roughly, from behind. Maybe she really was a blood whore?

No! She wasn't a blood whore. She was a guardian, and she had a job to do. It was like a bucket of cold water had been thrown over her, and Rose found her way through the haze of Ivan's bite and the alcohol and whatever compulsion this demon was working on her. Rosemarie Hathaway was _not_ a blood whore. But Dimitri didn't know that. It was time to get this big, sexy, dead guy outside. With one final swirl of her hips against the bulge in Mr Sleazy's jeans, Rose pulled away from her dancing partner and tottered towards the exit.

* * *

It was cool outside. Gulping at the fresh, evening air, Guardian Hathaway wobbled as her foot found a dip in the asphalt and she narrowly avoided falling on her finely toned patootie. Stupid six inch heels! She hadn't prepared for this. Stan Alto always made them wear sneakers during training sessions at St Vlad's - barefoot for indoor sparring.

 _Lightbulb_!

Snatching a look behind her to check if she was being followed, Rose pitched into the shadows at the side of the street and steadied herself against a wall to remove her red Jimmy Choos.

'Allow me.'

The strigoi was suddenly before her; his eyes locked on hers as his hands ran deftly over her breasts, torso, hips, buttocks and between her thighs - searching for hidden weapons. Rose shuddered in pleasure and disgust as the man that used to be Dimitri dropped to kneel before her, supporting the back of her calf with one hand while the other wandered down to release her aching foot from its satin-cased prison.

'You look like a smart girl, Miss...'

'R-Rose,' she hissed, as his thumbs rubbed deep, slow circles over her screaming ankles.

Pull yourself together, Hathaway! Even Rose's inner-voice sounded slurred as she fought off a depraved temptation to run her hands through the monster's dark, lustrous hair.

'Hmmm... Rrrr-oza,' his breath was sweet as honey and sickly as death. 'You should know better than to come to a place like this. The moroi club is on the other side of the river... but you know that already don't you... _blood whore_.' He stood swiftly, grabbing her by the chin and forcing her head back to expose Ivan's bite. In the next breath his tongue was sweeping over the punctured flesh; teasing her, tasting her.

Holy shit! The strigoi was going to drain her before she even got to the rendezvous point in the next alley - and she was going to enjoy every second.

Except she couldn't let that happen. Ivan and Vika were relying on her. And she wanted to see Lissa again. And Adrian. And Christian. Okay, maybe not Christian.

Rose emerged from her stupor, taking a bold step forward then nearly falling on her ass again because she forgot she was only wearing one shoe. Grabbing at the front of Dimitri's black button-down shirt for balance, she toed off the remaining shoe then let her palms splay flat against the rock-hard chest before her. 'But I don't want a moroi.'

His fingers circled her wrists, a fraction too tight for comfort. 'What do you want, dhampir?' Suspicion. Curiosity. Lust.

'More.' It wasn't a lie. Twisting her arms free, she trailed a hand down to the low-riding waistline of his jeans - fixing her eyes to his. 'What do _you_ want?' she held his gaze for half a beat. Then she ran.

Stan always told Rose she needed to do more work on her cardio and conditioning. Now she wished she'd listened to him.

In less than ten seconds the strigoi was on top of her, hands at her waist, lips at her neck, quickening breaths behind her ear.

'Wait!' she pushed him away roughly.

Anger sharpened his features and his hand raised of its own accord to slap her for her insolence, but then he saw what she was doing.

Arms bent behind her, Rose was fumbling at the hooks on her bra. Drawing the black strapless bra out from the top of her dress, she teased backwards - one step after another - to lure him into the nearest alleyway.

The strigoi's eyes dropped to her chest, and he stalked after her with a low growl. He enjoyed playing with his food.

'Will you turn me?' Rose's heart hammered against her ribcage, and she didn't have to fake excitement or fear as the crimson-eyed monster advanced towards her.

'That depends.' His step quickened. He was almost upon her.

'On what?' Her nipples stiffened and her hand flew to her throat. Defensively. Longingly.

'Hey, Dimka!' a man's voice called out in the dark, and it took Rose nearly a full second to remember what she was really here for. 'Good to see you old friend.'

The gut of fire spurting from Ivan's hand distracted the strigoi just long enough for Rose to attack - slicing her right arm across her body and smashing the back of her fist into the top of Dimitri's jaw.

'Bitch!' he stumbled momentarily, then returned the favour, the force of his blow sending her skidding limply across the ground.

Rose blinked slowly. Her ears were ringing. There was a dull, rolling feeling in her head. Her hip and elbow stung like the bejesus - her dress and skin shredded from the unexpected trip across the pavement. But the pain didn't matter. She had help the others to take down the dead guy before he killed them all. Now, if she could just figure out how to stand up...

'Hey, big brother,' Vika rushed in from Dimitri's flank, wrapping both hands around his bicep and launching herself up onto his back; delivering a shower of blows to the side of his head and neck before burying the tip of her elbow deep into the soft sinew around his right shoulder socket. 'Did you miss me?'

The strigoi made a guttural sound, using his good arm to pluck the nuisance from his body - shaking her a few times like she was a naughty puppy and sending her hurtling after Rose. There was a crunch as Vika landed hard and stilled.

'Attack me again, little sister, and I will not be so merciful.'

Guardian Hathaway was on her hands and knees - wondering why her body wasn't obeying her - when she noticed a puddle of something dark and wet beneath her. It wasn't raining. She jabbed at it disinterestedly, eyes widening when she finally registered it was her own blood. There seemed to be a hole in her forehead. That was weird. Heads shouldn't have holes in them.

'Rose! Help Ivan!' Vika's weak, angry voice jarred her back to her current surroundings, and she looked up to see the moroi lord approaching his former guardian.

'How's your new life working out for you, Dimka?' a jet of flame drew the strigoi's attention away from the women on the ground. 'I bet the parties aren't as good as the ones we used to throw together. Remember that night in Budapest?...'

Rose began to crawl away.

Vika swore at her, then closed her eyes and didn't open them again.

Ivan kept up his inane talking. An easy smile graced his lips but his heart was screaming with grief for the friend he'd lost - and fear of what this red-eyed monster in Dimka's skin would do to them all if they failed.

The strigoi looked daggers at him; more cautious since his sleeve had been disintegrated by hungry blue and purple flames, leaving a wide swathe of charred flesh on his left upper-arm. The fire was a hindrance, certainly, but not enough to really worry him. Magic wasn't inexhaustible. The longer the moroi used his powers, the weaker he would become. And that's when Dimitri would attack.

'Vitulya?' the Zeklos lord sent another stream of flame billowing towards the strigoi, using the distraction to snatch a glance across at Vika's prostrate form. 'Are you alright? Move if you can hear me.'

She didn't.

A surge of hate blossomed in Ivan's heart. If Vika was dead he would kill the creature that did it - even if it was wearing his best friend's face.

'Since when do you call my sister _Vitulya_ , moroi?' Dimitri snarled. Warning. Loathing.

'Since I realised I loved her.' Broken. Vicious.

The strigoi who looked like Dimitri narrowed his eyes. Fire or no fire, this moroi was about to die.

* * *

'I'd say I'm sorry for this, but I'm really not,' another voice spoke up before Dimitri could act, and a split-second later the strigoi roared with pain - a red stiletto protruding from his already-injured shoulder.

'That's probably not going to hurt as much as the next bit,' Rose announced woozily, using all her weight to push against the strigoi's back as two figures materialised in front of him.

White heat pierced deep into the strigoi's chest, but it wasn't Ivan's fire magic. It was a silver stake. It burned so badly he wanted to die.

And he wanted to kill. Time slowed, and his hand came down heavily upon the moroi woman who was sliding her stake ever deeper - through skin and muscle and into the bloody depths of him - but his clumsy attack was countered by another, vaguely familiar man. A dhampir. A guardian. This man would die today too.

The stake bit deeper still. Time suspended... then exploded.

...

Whenever she looked back on the memory in years to come, Rose could never quite figure out how she went from standing behind Dimitri to lying flat on her back on the other side of the alley. All she remembered was waking up and everything being quiet and still. Except for that one, strange sound.

She opened her eyes and sat up. Slowly. Everything hurt. The wound on her temple was throbbing - sticky with congealed blood - and her thoughts felt fuzzy and laboured as she looked around at her companions.

Ivan was hovered over Vika. Touching her face. Watching desperately as Oksana tried to heal her. Mark was disappearing swiftly in the direction he'd stowed the car. And there was a big man sitting in the middle of the darkened laneway - so hunched over he almost seemed small. And he was crying.

Rose couldn't walk so she crawled. 'Dimitri?'

A dry, choked sob.

'Dimitri. My name is Rose Hathaway. I'm a friend. Can you look at me?'

She didn't think he was going to move, but then he looked up. His eyes were brown.

'Roza?'

The woman's heart broke for him, and she shuffled closer - wrapping her arms around the real Dimitri Belikov and holding him tighter with each gasping sob he buried into her shoulder. Her lips grazed his cheek as she turned her head to whisper in his ear.

'I'm here, comrade. You're okay now. It's going to be okay.'


End file.
